The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-26

y QOnE think 1 ever appreciated
North Dakota and her green fields and
general prosperity so much in my life
as I do now, after having been across
the continent and to Alaska and then
back over the Canadian Pacific
through Canada, and / can say that
/ cannot understand how people from
this state will leave here and go up
into Canada or further west in view
of what I have learned" said George
w. Hancock, who with Mrs. Hancock
has just returned from a months visit
to Alaska. North Dakota is far SUI
perior to anything we saw on our trip
and I fell like advising our people
that instead of getting the wanderlust
they stay at home and make the best
of the great opportunities that God
has given them in this state.
Start on Long Journey.
1--WE left the city of Fargo July "
and reached home in just four weeks
from that time, making the trip to the
coast on the N. p. road. We stopped
at Spokane, Wash, and after spending
a couple of days there sight seeing
we went on to Seattle, stopping over
there two days. We then took the
boat and visited Skagway. 1t took us
just eleven days on h water. stop
ping al various places. We visited
Prince Rupert, Wrangle, Juno, FIT.
Stephenson. Douglass and at this lat
ter place we had the pleasure of in
speeding the great Treadwell gold mine,
which was worth the stop and then we
went on to Sitka. We took a trip over
the Great White Horse pass, where
the lives Of so many miners n horses
were lost at various times fifteen
years ago. AT that time Skagway was
a town of $4,000, but today she is a
comparatively slow little village OF
about 400.
Saw Salmon Fishing.
eve stopped to see a salmon u at
the city of Katchacan, which Is the
liveliest city of Alaska, and the sight
was an astonishing one. The salmon
were so numerous that one could al
most walk across the water on them
and not get his feet wet. There We're
millions of them Of all sizes. We Wis
ed the glaciers and for a time we we're
sailing homeward among the icebergs,
but experienced no trouble. On our
way back we visited Vancouver ana
other places and various points on the
| Canadian Pacific to winnipeg, taking
in Lake Louise and Banff, summer re
sorts of no mean pretentions. up in
the Rocky Mountains.
None so Good as Home.
"I want to say this right now that
7 saw no place that looked go good
to me as the green fields of North Da-
kota, and actually we breathed a sign
of relief when we were again across
the border in our state.
Let me tell you of some of the con-
ILLUSIONS that / came to on my trip. In
| Spokane we found the city was over
doomed and over built, with many
| stores and residences for rent all over
the city and many, very many, unoc-
cupied. About the vicinity of Spokane
IL is dry and there is little growing
except that produced by irrigation, and
the country isn't at all inviting to one
who has been used to the green of our
state.
seattle is also o~verboomed and over
built, with many vacant store rooms
and houses for rent, and there is very
little building going on. The city has
a population of about 100000 and has a
territory for accommodating 1000. 0ot
Of people. It is expensive to live
there. The street paving, sewers and
water mains all cost an immense
amount of money in making connec-
tions for the great ~unoccupied terri
tory, which seems to me to be unnec-
essary. / know that there are many
Fargo people who went there who
would be very glad to sell out at what
they have paid out and get back into
our state again. What we saw OF
Alaska was very beautiful, but the eli
mate is cold and damp, and then, too
we saw he country at it's best. There
is little business there of any kind ex-
ceptfng fishing and mining and every
kind of business necessary for these is
amply provided for in all towns we
visited.
In British Columbia.
Victoria is not the acme of beauty
and comfort that it is cracked up to be
The streets are torn up and the coun-
try is dry and dusty, and there is MOI
much building going on. / must say
though that it has n OF the finest no
tells that / ever saw and n of thu
prettiest state capitals. Vancouver ii
a busting city of about 1885, 900 inhab-
itants, for the present business Il
dull, so I was told. and the city Ii
built up TO fits limits for the present al
least. There Is n Of the most beau
tiful natural parks in the world there
but one can feel that the entire re,
gion is under the influence of the Ca
madam Pacific to a remarkable degree
so that real estate Is sky high and j
is impossible to invest with any ides
of getting a reasonable return.
Thousands Per Foot.
Take property a mile away from
the center of the city, said Mr.. Han.
cock, and they are asking $500 pei
foot for it and even vacant residence
lots about that section are offered anC
held at $500, SO that a house and 10
such as /. have at home would cos
there not far from $50, 900 and one car
see that buying property there for al
investment would be a piece OF fool
ishness.
"The country from Calgary to Swift
Current Is practically a wilderness
and it is hard for me to understand
why North Dakota people will throw
up their holdings here or sell them a
all and go up in Canada and struggl,