Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-06-04
Our Greatest Asset.

Wherein lies Ashland's greatest
hope of future growth and future
prosperity? What is Ashland's great
est asset? On what can she realize
the quickest? Wherein is she least
in competition with the rest OF the
world? What has she tried in the
past and what has been the outcome?
What has she let lie idle that other
cities have made fortunes from?
These are questions that the public
spirited citizen should ponder well.
SiXty-odd years ago the pioneer
thought that gold mining was des-
tined to solve the problems of South
ern Oregon. 4 few years later other
pioneers believed the licking of the
Indians and the development of
ranches and farms was the one thing
to be desired. Then came the era of
railroads and mills and the citizens
of that day thought the problems of
Ashland were solved for all time to
come.
After that there was a long lapse
in which the chief hope of the city
for a future was apparently the Nor
NAL School. Then came the era of
fruit raising and close on its heels
the era of good roads and pavements
etc. All these things combined made
OF Ashland a city of 5000 in sixty
years. The growth has been at an
average rate OF 100 per year Men
have come and gone-battling for
their ideas of what was best. None
of the things for which they fought
have proven the panacea for the ills
of the community.
If you had started out a few
months ago TO ask the citizens of
Ashland on what thing Ashland
should base her hope of future
growth and prosperity YOU would
have found citizens who still clung
to every hope of the past with the
possible exception of the licking of
the Indians. Nearly everybody now
admits that licking Indians is an in
dustry which has few possibilities at
the present time. You would have
found, however. that some still clung
to mining and others to Tanching and
others to railroad activity and manu-
featuring as their hope for the future
of this region.
Going farther you would have had
others telling you the salvation OF
the Ashland district is dry farming
or irrigation or dairying or pottery
making or quarrying. Some would
have said schools and others church.
es and some deluded mortals would
even have told you saloons. You
could even find people to tell you it
is a daily paper. You would have
found a large number clinglng to the
theory that fruit-growing is it-re-
gardless of limited area and hopeless
marketing facilities. Today the large
majority have come to see Ashland's
real destiny-the thing for which she
is best fitted-development as a re-
sort city.
Why has every mortal who has set
foot in this country-from the
foot"-tried to solve the problem OF
living here? Why haven't the innum-
erable host passed on to other fields?
Because this is the finest place on
earth to live. Its climate is right.
Its altitude is right. Its scenery is
right. It's water is right. That is
why everyone who comes wants to
stay.
These are the things which really
impelled the pioneer to stay and en-
dure the hardships and fight the bat
ties of the earlier day These are the
things that have kept later comers
here in spite of hope long deferred.
These are the things that are keeping
people here now when more dollars
await their talents and efforts else
where. These constitute the asset
which has made Ashland what she is
today and which should be exploited
and shared with the others-to their
salvation and our own prosperity.
The Tidngs is on sale at Poley's
NJ. AL.