Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-04

4 tie CITY NNdl llts just HOlNH VI
IA Omaha, has Weakened from a
yG72sSgsSV nap of years, and taken on
kl.%%SSSS life and activity such as makes
It a place OF Importance. Be
fore ever Omaha was, Florence mad an
existence, and was the center of busting
life. Here Brigham Young established
that historic Winter Camp" that was
to be the final starting point for the
pilgrimage of the devoted Mormons on
their way across the plains of the west
to the promised land spied out for them
in Utah. After the passage of the Nor
mons Florence still kept life and vigor,
for 1t was located at a most convenient
crossing on the Missouri river, and with
this for foundation, it built up q CON
siderable trade among the early settlers
in both Nebraska and Iowa. 1t had
newspapers. banks, mercantile establish
ments, and other evidences Of commercial
and industrial Importance.
But the railroad played a part in the
life of Florence as it did in the life
Of many another promising pioneer
metropolis, and the RAILROAD made Omaha
its starting point This meant somnol-
cnce and decay for Florence, while the
more favored town was growing into the
large city it has become. In time
Florence, too, was reached by a railroad
and later, with the growth of Omaha
came the union of the two places by a
trolley line, and then the beauties and
advantages of life in Florence became
apparent to many who had their business
in the city. Florence began TO wake up
again, for homes were being built out
there, beautiful suburban residences, and
men and women found the place most
attractive
With this new impulse, Florence folks
began to think of greater things, and
spirit of civic pride stirred among them,
and from that second beginning the i'm
petus has never slackened. Streets were
graded and pavements laid, now business
blocks went UP to match the homes Of
the newcomers, and the social life OF
the place found It's outlet in equally i'm
portant ways. Lodges were formed Of
well known societies, and these erected
halls for meeting places and public func-
tons the parks were improved, the
schools were housed in a most imposing
and impressive building, and Florence
now puts on a front" that would as
tonish anyone of the pioneers who knew
1t in the days of the later SOS, when 1t
was thought TO he something of bust
ling and permanent metropolis
Florence Is especially proud of its pub
lie school system. The grade and high
schools are housed in one very substan-
tiaI and completely modern building, in
which are seventeen rooms, where fifteen
teachers are continually employed, The
high school Is well equipped, and Is so
planned that it's course of study matches
perfectly with that of the great Omaha
Central High school, thus affordng per-
feet facilities to the children Of families
moving from one TO the other place.
An important public enterprise in which
the people OF Florence are especially In
terested. and in which they have enlisted
the support and assistance Of many
Omaha folks, is the construction OF a free
bridge across the Missouri river which
would afford means OF communication TOT
the farmers IN a very large section, who
are now shut off from the market by rea-
son Of the distance that must be Travelled.
This bridge would mean the bringing TO
Florence and consequently to Omaha, OF
immense quantities Of farm produce.
Florence has sixty business firms,
divided as follows! Two banks, four gro
Gerry stores, one general store, one hard
ware and implement store two lumber
and coal yards, three saloons one cigar
and news stand, one gents furnishings,
three barber shops, two pool halls, two
hotels, one jewelry store, three doctors,
three lunch rooms, one bakery, three feed
stores, one livery barn, one garage, one
drug store, one newspaper, two shoe re-
pairs, two harness shops. one dry cleaning
and dyeing. one tailor, ono basket factory,
one canning factory, two cement block
factories, four real estate dealers, two
florists one ice cream and confectionery,
one flour and feed mill, one blacksmith,
two transfer companies, one plumber. four
attorneys-at-law, three insurance agen-
cies. four notaries public and one dentist.
One OF the great show places TO which
Omaha folks are fond OF making excur-
sions and OF which they always boast 10
visitors Is to be found at Florence, the
Minne-Lusa pumping station OF the
Omaha Metropolitan Water district. Here
are located the monster engines that daily
lift many millions Of gallons OF water
from the Missouri river into the settling
/ basins, whence, after 1t has been freed