The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-04-02
THE NEW COUNTY SEAT


Prior to the late election and the tran
sfer of the seat of county government
THE town was in a very similar condi-
It.on to other towns in the valley, NOV
Iing along with halting step, more halt
ling than stepping. There was general
stagnation, so far as any business for
the carpenter and mason was concern
ed, and the outlook was not one to
Throw people into an ecstasy OF de-
hight. At this rather embarrassing
period Okanogan hopefully entered the
lists as a competitor for county seat
honors. A removal sentiment was in
The air, and Okanogan decided that the
lime was ripe for trying to have the
bulk of that sentiment concentrate up
bn that town as the proper place to
which the county seat should be tran
ferred. 1t was an expensive under
aking, but the plum was worth the
price could it only be plucked. With
spirit of civic loyalty that has never
peen equaled by any town of the size
b the state the people strained their
resources to the uttermost limit to
aise the means necessary to make the
ace. Men made great sacrifices read
y and cheerfully. Some of them will
b time recOup on the investment, 9TH
RS may not. But that matters not,
br the question of recompense, or
OnrecOmpense does not enter into
erious consideration at this time. We
bly, trust that all will come out even,
far to the good. 1t is enough to
how that in response to the appeal
pr funds none were backward in COM
)g forward. They gave freely of their
cans without counting the cost, and
lat liberality bore fruit in a success
issue out of struggle that is now
lst history. No one knows, nor prob
)ly ever will know exactly, what it
st OkanOgan to make the campaign
st fall. As for that matter no one
rticularly cares, as it is a closed in
dent. A bonus of. $12, 900 was raised
r a courthouse, should the voters
egister verdict in favor of Okano-
hn-and that, by-the-way, knocked
be persimmon-while many thousand
ere necessary to meet the legitimate
Expenses of such a campaign. If any
he wants to know what herculean
pb it is to raise such vast sum in q
community of 500 or 600 souls just
( t him start out and try it. Anyhow,
be liberality of the citizens of that
OWN was rewarded, for large ma
brity of the voters favored removal.
# The wisdom of that decision was
Questioned at the polls by stiff mi
DOrity of the voting population of the
Ounty, but since the change was made
Everybody recognizes the great con-
3enience of having the county seat
where 1t can be reached without un-
pecessary hardships, and if the propo-
Dition was put up to the voters today
20 return the seat of government to
z&he old stand there would not be a
vote cast in favor outside of Con-
2eonully.
81 All this, however, is barking back
30 dead issue. The county seat is at
'Okanogan, and there it will stay put
until long after the most of us are
<g&thered to our fathers. 1t is near
the center of the county, as it should
be, on the railroad and river, with a
Sdown hill pull to the east and west.
xThe man would be hard to please who
*did not consider the site about as for
*tunate a one as could be chosen.
At the beginning of this effort to
Fsay something relative to the new
<cOunty seat it was stated that there
: is more of an atmosphere of doing
things at Okanogan at the present
time than at any of the less fortunate
sister towns in the valley, and the
reason for the commotion is wholly
attributable to the securing of the
county seat. With the county records
were tranferred from Conconully all
the officers, deputies, clerks and hang
ers on. These people had to be hous-
ed, and construction was necessary to
supply the shelter. In the wake OF
1.-THE officials followed others from the
4 old town in the hills, drawn by years
|G;of association with the headquarters
Il of county affairs. Or feeling that the
decline Of one town would be followed
|sby the building up of another they
.hastened to be in on the ground floor
\ This influx contributed materially tc
the population of Okanogan. Then al
idea filtered out and around that the
new county seat would support ad
ditional business ventures, and new
enterprises in mercantile and 9th
-er lines were opened at Okanogan. TT
add to the activity of construction
created by the demand for habitations
new courthouse had to be provided