The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-04-20
ADVANTAGE OF BEING ON THE
MAIN LINE.

There Is not another spot in the en-
tire west which supplies anything ap-
preaching the railroad tonnage of the
Occur d'Alene district that Is served
exclusively by branch railroads. In
this respect the Occur dAlene district
has always been and is now laboring
under a serious disadvantage. We
often hear the complaint that the dis
trlct should be systematically adver-
tised and that the people of the east
and middle west know nothing of our
marvellous mineral wealth, and that
there should be publicity showing the
product and profits of our mines and
the opportunities for mining invest
ment. Far be it from the purpose of
this paper to underestimate the value
of publicity, for there Is not a day
passes that II does not see the practi-
cal benefits of it's own efforts in that
direction, and it is firmly of the opinion
that much good could be accomplished
by united effort in advertising to the
world the splendid mineral resources
awaiting the touch OF capital. But
even this would not accomplish the
best results.
The real handicap that is the great
est disadvantage to the Occur dAlene
district Is the fact that no one sees 1t
without making a special trip for the
purpose, or is called here on business.
People making a tour of the west have
their route mapped out and they avoid
branch lines that break into their
Pullman arrangements, and generally
involve tedious delays at junction
points. 1t is for this reason that the
thousands who visit the northwest
every year never see the Occur dAlene
mining district. 1t was to overcome |
to some extent this disadvantage that |
the good roads association attached so
much Importance to bringing the yell
lowstone trail through here and ex-
pended so much money in improving
that transcontinental highway in this
1t was to bring the people
through the district so that they would
see something of our mining industry,
which would be the best advertisement
I could get.
But the number who win pass
through the district by automobile is
mall compared with the number who
would come If one or more of the
ranscontinental railroads crossed the u
district If there were two or three g,
reat overland trains passing through @,
ere both east and west every day, in
of people every year would N
ain definite idea of the magnitude n,
( the mining industry, and the fame ~
the Occur d'Alenes would be spread ii,
broad to an extent and with effect IN
'eness that could never be accom- w,
lished by a publicity campaign. Fate
GEMS to have been against the dis |
'ict in the matter of a main line rail- vie
1ad When the Northern Pacific was Sr
uilt there was nothing here to at -,
act railroad and the pathfinders of m,
lie company sought the route that Of
red as they believed the least re- Gin
stance. In recent years the Mil mr.,
aukee adopted the st. Joe route tTa
Venty miles south, thereby cutting mn
self out of rich field which It now Pc
lows a disposition to invade, Tins h,o,
lie Occur d'Alene district, populated t,e
an enterprising and progressive I'm
eople and supplying a tonnage for oct
threads unexcelled by any city or do,
milar section between st. Paul and do,
e coast with the possible exception ori
Butte, still remains In isolation be- ldid
Veen two great main lines and de- of
sndent upon two branches from OBJ ca,
'site directions to handle the tre- bo,
endous traffic The district is en- ro,
lied to something better The enor-