The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-12-09
Best Type Of Clean Hustling Commu-
nifty; Built on Solid Foundation
of Natural Resources.
RAPIDLY FORGING AHEAD
AS MANUFACTURING CENTER
Has Friendly, Democratic, Hard
Working, Homeloving Citizens;
Has Much to Offer.
"A city embossomed in the West,
Set like a jewel in the billowy
Folds of Natures green, luxurious
drapery."

(By Guy W. Small.)
Published in the 'tNorthern Mime
sofa" Magazine at Duluth.
Sixty miles north from the near
est railroad Chief Bemidji thought
he was safe from their encroach-
ments, but one day with the beauti-
full autumn haze hanging over the
lake he saw seven white men invade
his country. They were Tams Bixby,
Harris Richardson, Henry Hutchin-
son, A. G. Clauson, W. J. Hilligoss,
Louis Lohn and F. A. Silver, and they
had purchased the present townsite
of Bemidji. One year later the little
colony Of palefaces had grown to 200
souls. Today it is lively, bustling
little city of more than 1000 or more.
Reasons for Growth.
Few cities just grow of themselves.
There must be some reason for build
ing city on any location. Some are
based, like Los Angeles, on their eli
mate. Some, like Des Moines, are
simply huge farming communities.
Some like Pittsburg. are great manu-,
featuring centers. Some, like Chi
cago or st. Louis, or Kansas City or
Winnipeg, are great distributing
points. Some, like Duluth or New
Orleans, are shipping points.
Has Them All.
e Bemidji has all of these reasons
for being, unless it is possible the
last mentioned one. It has the North
ern Minnesota climate to begin with,
and scoffers to the contrary, there is
none better for lotus eaters and idlers.
It is vigorous, healthful climate for
the full-blooded man who wants to
DO a days work. The cool breezes
of summer, followed by the long
mild days of golden autumn, offer at
fractions that make those of Califor-
MIA seem insipid. Ask any Mime
sotan who has lived in California
which he prefers. Added to the in
comparable climate, is the most beau
tiful location any city can boast.
Situated on the shores of the beauti-
full lake of the same name, it is in
deed the city beautiful.
Thus, climate, and topography have
made Bemidji above all else a livable
city and that should be the first es-
sential. Climate and topography
can be capitalized, and Bemidji is
capitalizing hers.
A Productive Soil.
Des MOines can claim no advan-
tages over Bemidji as a center of an
agricultural region. Surrounding Be-
midi are 10000 acres of undeveloped
land. For centuries it has been en-
riched by forest wood until rich
black loan has accumulated above
the clay formation soil. No more
productive soil for diversified crops
can be found, and the farmers of Illi-
nois, Iowa, Nebraska and Southern
Minnesota are realizing that they
can sell their high priced land, move
to Northern Minnesota and for
fraction of what they realized, pur-
chase just as much and just as good
soil.
Every settler who moves to the
rich farming district surrounding
Bemidji, increases this city's import
ance as distributing point. Its
prestige as the center of this grow
ing empire is already too we'll estab-
1ished to be taken away from it. Four
great railroad systems centering in
Bemidji give it this prestige. The
Great Northern, the 500, the North
ern Pacific and the Minnesota, Red
Lake & Manitoba i Bemidji was once
a frontier lumber town. AS the CEN
ter of the great pine forest of North
ern Minnesota it had it's reason for
being in the lumber industry. There