Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-21
GATEWAY Of NORTH DAKOTA
Continued from Page 81

tive, yet progressive city and today 1t
nothing speculative or spectacular In
it's makeup. Ii an offer were made
to its bankers or moneyed men OF at
fairs to make 20 per cent on an. in
vestment 1t would be turned down inn
m%ediately.. It would be stamped q
gold brick investment" II the deal
carried Z per cent interest It would
line with their life work, none but
legitimate business Investments. Still
Grafton has made more progress
along right lines in city and home
building than n other city in the
Red River Valley of the North. It
has a municipality owned electric
light and water works system, put in
at a cost Of $4,000: a sewerage sys-
TEN that covers the entire city, at Il
cost Of $4,000: ten blocks of cedar
block paving, while the whole busi-
ness and resident district has cement
laid sidewalks; the city is lighted with
thirty-nine arc lamps. ten having six
ty candle power, while there are nine
street stringers Of thirty-fve lights
each in the business ZOne,' which are
lighted Saturday nights and on spe-
cial occasions, and to our minds are
more effective than the so-called
White Way. The water supply for
fire protection is taken from two ar
tesian wells, 800 feet deep. having
sure Is 100 pounds, the water being
pumped by direct pressure. There is
a volunteer fire department, equipped
with hook and ladder, three hose
carts and 1000 feet of hose. The city
Is in splendid financial condition.. as
the bonded debt is only 5000.
while in the sinking fund there is
con nm FrI,N 0~v 80 thu AIAAf~ln
light Plant over operating expenses ts
sufficient to take care of this AZ fast
as it natures. Mayor A. McConville,
who is serving his second term. has
proved a very popular Official. being
progressive and public spirited.
Grafton's Financial Development.
In the financial development Of
Walsh county and this section of the
Red River Valley Grafton's banking
business has not experienced n fat
or can years, but has had a steady
growth in bank deposits and. surplus,
and what is more all OF this capital
bank was established December Is,
1881, and reorganized into the First
National bank, October. 1882. Graf
ton, besides the First National, has
the Grafton National, established In
1884 and the Observation-Disclosures
bank that opened Its doors tor busl-
ness November 20, 1913. The three
banks have a combined capital Of
$4,000 and surplus Of 1920. 900.
This tells the story of the wealth
building in the capital city of Walsh
county in the far-famed valley Of
North Dakota.
G%rafton's Hotels.
There is but one leading up-to-date
hotel in Grafton, the Merchants ho-
tel. that is owned and managed by
Landlord G.. w. Mcintyre, since 1893,
and during all these fifteen years the
Merchants hotel has %zealously cared
for the wants of the Commercial
mems trade, the tourist and land
lockers alike, giving them the best
of accommodations and bill of fare
of. any two dollar a day hotel in
North Dakota. A thirty-two room,
%splendidly furnished house. electric
lighted and steam heated, run on the
American plan.
Mr.. Mcintyre is a graduate hotel
man. having served a. clerk OF the
Metropole Of Fargo when 1t first OPP
ened some twenty years ago. and some