Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-02-04
.OTTuMWA GIVEN
GREAT PRAISE
EASTERN BUSINESS MAN TELLS
WHAT HE THINKS OF iloWA's
BEST CITY.
PLACE TO LOCATE |,

PLACE TO LOCATE IN
Attractive Features Of this City Told
by Visitor in Foreign Pubiica-
ton in FIatterins Man
The best way to size up our value is
to see ourselves as others see us, anti
themselves of this Is afforded in a
/! story about Ottunwa that appears in
j the February issue of publication
that has wide circulation throughout
1.-The country. The article abiding II,
such fiattering manner to Ottumwa,
lis by the pen OF an eastern business
man who does not hesitate to tell what
| impressed him in Ottumwa and If OF
tu1nwa will profit by the advertising
thus given the city, they will even i'm
prove the present condition to one Of
even greater claim for worthy mention
The mention given Ottumwa in the,
outside publications is as follows:
! An eastern man, whose business re-,
,quires him to put in considerable time
| in different cities OF the middle west.Was
/ asked which OF the cities Of Iowa ne
considered the most promising and,
fundamentally the best city for man.
ufacturing business and a home. He
i writes as follows:
''OtILmwa, Iowa, IS one Of the best,
business cities in the middle west. The
last census gave it population OF
i22,012, and If you can find $4,000 peD-
pie in one community who are more
alive every day in the year than you
4 can find in Ottumwa, Iowa, I'd like for
4 you to tell me the place.
1 1T is great railroad and manu-
! featuring center, and has the best ana
largest retail stores Of any place of It's
size in the country. It's factories sell
its retail stores draw trade from miles
and miles. It is also a large jobbfng
poirt, and has immense wholesale
hardware. dry goods, grocery drug and
fruit houses. Otturnwa also has EN-.
ployment for many people-the cigar,
candy and lighter material factories
employ the girls and boys, and the
railroads, packing house. farm and
mining implement factories employ the
men.
| They pay good wages there, too.
| Hundreds OF workmen own their homes
and some CT them have another house,
/ they rent The city is surrounded ny
| an elegant agricultural country, and
| there is always a demand for men to-
work ON farms as we'll as in the shops.
/! It is a good place for any kind of
workman to go to. A big factory has
just moved there from Moline, Illinois,
and another from Davenport has open-
| ed business there There are lots OF
factories there now. and more are go
ing there oil the time.
| @"Otturnwa is attracting much atten-
ton now. 1t is not a boom town, but
just keeps going.
IF / were looking for job or for a
place to locate a factory I'd go to OF
tumwa, Iowa.
They are now just beginning -
develop the water power on the Des
Moines river That is fine stream,
and is big enough to navigate large,
boats on. 1t comes into the state at
about the highest point, and, after
flowing diagonally through it, gees out
at the lowest point.
From Des Moines to Keokuk the
Des Moines river has a fall Of $50 feet.
Ottumwa is just halfway between
those points. From Des Moincs to OF
tumwa the fall is 212 feet and from
Ottumwa to Keokuk the fall is 157 feet.
| Out Of this can be developed enough
power to run a lot of factories and
business. These towns along the Des
Moines river are soon going to have
enough electric power to light oil the
surrounding country and turn. their
capital can find profitable investment.
Ottumwa now has some water power
under control and is using IL and Is
preparing to use more. 1t Is on four
trunk railways lines and is division
point on three of them.
IF You'll take my advice you'll locate
in Ottumwat It has elegant public
a large college is going to be built
there this year. 1t never had bank
failure and seems to be built on the
best foundation oS any Of the cities in
that part Of the country
Iowa Is going into the intensified
farming business. 1t is going to raise
stuff to eat. 1t is the place for you to
locate your canning factory.
"In addition to the growing cities II
Iowa, the state Is surrounded by big
centers Of population that give a mar
ket for anything it can raise. On the
west are Omaha, Council Bluffs and
Sioux City, north Minneapolis and St.
Paul, on the east are the cities along
the Mississippi river in addition to
are Hannibal ST. Louis, Kansas City
and ST. Joe. In these places are mill
lions Of mouths to be fed, and Iowa g
the garden for all Of them.
1.-The Dakotas and Minnesota will al
ways be big wheat fields, Nebraska Is
still unsettled to large degree. Much
of Missouri is broken and not adapted
to big productions, but almost every
acre of Iowa is capable Of producing a !
big yield of vegetables as well as corn. !
This work will demand lots Of labor. |
This with all the manufacturing and
railroad interests in the state will
make big demand for labor and
means much prosperity for the state.
and Ottumwa and the people in it's vi
cinity are alive to the situation. OF
tunwa,s Commercial club does not
overlook any worthy proposition"