The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-02-23
BOOSTING OROVILLE.

BOOSTING OROvILLE.
During his recent outing-and the
word outing in this case must not be
taken in the sense of a pleasure jaunt,
las the gentleman to whom 1t refers
rarely divorces himself from business
hong enough to indulge in the frivOlity
of pleasure exclusively l.. l.. Work,
who has conducted a sound and sane
{system of banking in this town and
<cOunty for number of years, and
Ethan whom there is not not a better
[known man in the county, be that man
{whom he may, had occasion to visit
tBellingham. At one time Mr.. Work
was resident of Bellingham, and has
/ an extensive acquaintance in that city.
While there he met up with the lead
/ ing business men of the place, and he
told them few things about OrOville
and OkanOgan county that made the
said residents pick up their ears and
become interested. Mr.. Work believes
in the OkanOgan country. and when he
gets out among those ignorant of the
productive capacity and possibilities of
the vast territory covered by that name
he commences a campaign of enlight-
enment He knows about every square
mile of the country. it's present and
prospective value, has a pleasing and
convincing manner of conveying in
formation ON the subject to his audi
tors, and when he gets through with an
individual, or combination of individ-
uals. the impression prevails among
his hearers that the OkanOgan Is
region of vast importance and worthy
of serious attention. He certainly
4 attrrod ~ nj pol1in q q md fhof
thriving and growing city. that has
ambitions for commercial supremacy,
is going to be competitor for the
business of Oroville and the surround
ing country when once the Great Nor
thern road Is completed OF the coast
putting the east and west side in closer
communication with each other. So
much interest was aroused by the rep
reservations made by Mr.. Work that
the American-Reveille has taken up
the cause OF the Okanogan country
with much enthusiasm, as will be seen
by the following article that appeared
In recent issue of that paper:
IL. L., Work, of OrOville, OkanOgan
County, and president of the First Ma
tiOal Bank Of that place, was in the
city yesterday and In conference with
President Mead and Secretary Matte
son, OF the Chamber of Commerce, re-
vealed that Oroville and the produc-
tive horticultural and agricultural Ok
anogan and Similkameen valleys in
the adjoining county east of the noun
tains would, in the course of two years
or more, be made tributary to Belling-
ham, as the nearest and most conven-
lent j0bbing center in the state. by the
completion OF railway extensions now
under construction on the Great Nor
thern aud Canadian Northern lines,
operating in conjunction over the new
road, and by the building of an extern
sion of the Canadian Pacific railway
from Midway to Nicola in British Co.
lumbia.
President Mead made tour
through this country in 1907 and Is
convinced that business interests of
Bellingham should get acquainted with
this land of future opportunity at an
early date. Mr.. Work is anxious to
have Bellingham come over and dis
cover" Oroville and said there Is no
question that this city can be made
Orville's jObbing center after the rail-
way Is built II local merchants choose
to do so.
Secretary Matteson is in favor of
hiohh6 uP u Paity VI DCAAA6hohi
booster tourists to visit the promised
land" in the near future. The railway
fare would amount to about $45 both
was, the distance being traversed in a
roundabout way on the Canadian Pa
cific railway to the head Of Lake Okan-
Ogan. ard then by steamer to the end
end of the lake, and thence by auto
to OrOville. a distance of from forty
to fifty miles. Mr.. Work assured Pres
ident Mead and Secretary MattesOn
that such a party would be warmly
welcomed and entertained by OrOville
business men at any time.
"Mr. Work Is former resident of
Bellingham and is we'll known here.
He Is now interested in several banks
In OkanOgan County and incidentally
president OF the Commercial Club of
OrOville. which Is an active Organiza-
ton for a town of only 500 population.
Mr.. Work is also president of the Com
mercial Bank of Conconully.
In explainign to President Mead
and Secretary Matteson the improved
railway facilities which will be avail
able in a couple of years or more, Mr..
Work said that the Great Northern
railway had extended the road fifteen
miles from Princeton. B. c., or 100
miles west Of OrOville. This line will
be connected with the Canadian Nor
thern line now building from Abbotts-
ford, B. c. About sixty-five miles of
road is yet to be built between Hope,
B. c., and Princeton, which will prob
ably be finished within the next two
years. When this road Is in full oper-
alton to the coast Oroville will be only
$50 miles from Bellingham and 225
miles from Spokane. which. with Seat
tie, now gets the jobbing business Of
that section. AS 1t is not cOnveniet to
trade with Spokane on account of the
location of the Great Northern railway
from Spokane to OrOville. partly in
Canada, Bellingham would undoubted-
ly get the trade in competition, es-
pecially so because it is a seaport At
present OrOville has no fixed jObbing
center.
Mr.. Work predicts that that section
will equal and even surpass the vast
and fertile productivity of the famous
Wenatchee and Yakima valleys. He
has been located in that section for
several years and is familiar with the
rpcOpnt1od nOSaihi1itieS Mr. Work