Evening journal., 1915-01-20
New News Of Yesterday
How the Great Middle
West Was Developed
By Holland

II has sometimes been observed by
hose who have visited that part Of
the country which lies between the
Mississippi and the Missouri rivers
that il was on the western bank OF
the Mississippi. north of ST. Louis.
that almost all of the important cities
and mercantile communities have
been established while. on the other
hand IL has been upon the eastern
bank of the Missouri. from Kansas
City northward. that the chief cities
of the Missouri Valley, with one or
two exceptions, have been built
Soon after the close of the Civil
War, Norman B. Ream now recog-
nized as one of the foremost Of Amer
lean business forces, established HIM
self in trade in Iowa. Mr. Ream after
ward went 10 Chicago whore his
larger and more important business
life was undertaken. II occurred TO
me to ask Mr. RCam one day if there
was any special reason for the fact
that almost all of the important cities
of the Mississippi Valley, north of ST.
Louis. had been established on the
west bank of the Mississippi, whereas
The important cities of the Missouri
Valley had been for the most part
built upon the east bank of the Mis-
souri,
THAT illustrates one of the most
striking tendencies in our conquest
OF the great Vest mean our COM
mercial agricultural and industrial
utilization Of that very rich region"
replied Mr. Ream Until the great
development of railway transportation
west of the Mississippi River. most OF
which was not undertaken until after
the close OF the Civil War, almost all
the pioneers beyond the Mississippi
were compelled TO travel by steam
boat up the big river. These pioneers
were looking for cheap and yet very
fertile lands west OF the Mississippi
River. st. Louis had already been es-
tablished as "A commercial metropolis
on the west bank of the river. These
pioneers were anxious TO find land
ing places on the west bank. For that
reason, there gradually developed
large commercial communities Han
nibal, Mo: Keokuk, in the southeast
ern corner of Iowa; then Muscatine.
Davenport, and Dubuque. and then
Winona and ST. Paul, although Il is
hardly fair TO include St. Paul since
there were other reasons for the es-
tablishment of a city at the headwa-
ters of the Mississippi.
Now look at IL from another point Of
view. Pioneers who went northerly
from Kansas City were not looking
/ for settlement beyond the Missouri.
/ Ihey were anxious TO be landed upon
| the east bank Of the Missouri River.
In that way, st. Joseph Council
| Bluffs. Sioux City. and later. Yank-
ton. were established upon the east
bank Of the Missouri Il was not until
the government of the United States
determined that a point upon The
Missouri River, opposite Council
| Bluffs. now known as Omaha. should
[ be the eastern terminal of the Union
Pacific that a really great commercial
and railway community was establish.
ed upon the west bank. This arbi-
trary choice by the government OF
Omaha instead OF Council Bluffs as
the terminal Of the Union Pacific ex.
plains the loss Of prestige of Council
! Bluffs. ] have always thought This
was one of the most interesting fea.
lures Of the opening up Of that par,
OF the West, which was beyond the
Mississippi River"