The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-02-23
COMING TO THE FRONT.

AS has been frequently mentioned
by this paper OkanOgan county Is the
last undeveloped and most sparsely
settled section of the state, hence q
repetition of the statement Is not
sprung upon the reader as new dis
cOvery. nor as surprise. The fact
that 1t Is backward in development
is not because there are no latent re-
sources to develOpe but because 1t has
never had the advantages of easy and
ready means of transportation. With
out means of rapid communication 1t
has been difficult to get into the coun-
try. and impracticable to take out OF
the country any thing that might re-
ward the investment of capital and the
exertiOn of man. The county has been
a victim of a heavy handicap, against
which progress was simply impossible.
A single line of railroad, of later day
construction. touching only the ex-
treme northern part Of the county. has
improved the conditions slightly over
a limited extent of the country, but q
speedy change for the better cannot
be hoped for until the main line puts
the county in touch with the coast
market, and the branch line, extend
ing from OrOville to Wenatchee. Is In
operation. The fmlfiilment of both
of these vitality important promises
may be looked upon as an absolute cer-
tainty for the near future, and then
this land of rich possibilities. so slow
coming TO the front, so long ignored,
will fill up with great rapidity, and
it's varied and incompatible resources
be developed to the very limit of pro-
ductiveness.
Some of us have fingered long in
Okanogan awaiting for the dawn of
that brighter day that our firm faith
has assured us was certain to event.
ually come about. 1t was that conf
dence in the future that has held US
here year after year. II the older res
idents had ever doubted they would
have struck their tents and departed
long ago. While waiting and watch
ing for the better day there have been
many disappointments, and hope has
been kept alive by the promise that
the failure Of realization one season
would be followed by naturalization
next year. Nowhere has there been
known such an annual experience o:
hope deferred. Every winter expec-
tation has been aroused by promises
Of things doing in the following spring
and summer Spring and summer have
passed beyond with painful regular
ity, and that flower of promise wither
in. the e2bud. DisappOintmeuts results
ed, but never encouragement. When
one looks back over the fight of years
it Is really astonishing how the people
have recovered from one disappOint-
mcnt after another. and yet are ready
to brighten up with anticipatiOns Of
better things upon the first intimattOn
of a prospective favorable change, and
that intimation largely based upon the
promises of activity in some line of in
dustry that has for its object the de-
velopement of a single resource. And
the reason for this Is that the people
know that the resources exist, that
they are such resources as have
brought prosperity and wealth to 9TH
err sections of the country, and will
eventually bring property and wealth
to the residents of Okanogan county
Here in Oroville, for instance, for
several years the growth has been
slow and hating. There Is not more
favorably located town in the state.
There is tributary country sufficient
to warrant the building of city of
considerable size when these resources
are fully developed. 1t Is destined to
be railroad as well as an industrial
center. The residents of the place
have net pulled together as they
should have done, or OrOville might
have been larger town than 1t Is to-
day, but no matter what may be the
attitudt of the present population pre-
vailing differences will be Outlived and
OrOville will become city o. impOr-
tance just the same. BY unity that
greatly desired end might be sooner
reached. But It will be eventually
reached anyway. Aa stated above
for the past three or four years growth
has been backward, although each win
ter the residents have looked forward
to change for the better in the
spring. Procrastination in the mat
ter of railroad building is largely re-
sponsible for the slOwness of progress,
for that procrastination has had the
effect of holding back the development
of the country. The time is now at
hand when the start for a greater Oro-
vile can be confidently announced; !;
the fruition of long postponed hope is
in sight. Signs of progress are OBJ
servable, signs with material founda-
tiOn. Even this early in the season
the outlook indicates that the year
1912 is to be marked with flattering
changes in the prospects of Oroville.
and when the start Is fairly on there
will be no halting in steady expansion.
In the first place there is no further
uncertainty as to the construction of
the OrOville-W -Wenatchee branch. This
long deferred road is soon to be an
actuality. Engineers are now work
ing on the line between Wenatchee
and Pateros Their object is to COM
plete the establishment of grades, and
is the froerunner of the contractors
and builders. The laying of steel be-
tween OrOville and PaterOs, where
grading was completed long months
ago. will commence In the spring. The
| completion and operation of this
branch will be strong factor In up
building Oroville.
Saturday land owners under the
great irrigation projects on both sides
1 of the Okanogan river and Osoyoos
lake will vote in favor of organizing
| districts under the state law. When
once under water, which will be the
ultimate result of the election, the