, 1925-05-21
Enterprising RawIins

Among the more enterprising
towns of Wyoming, in these times of
general depression, the city of Raw
Inns, now with its board OF trade
and its weekly paper, stands in the
front rank. One hears daily of some
new measure there devised for pro
noting the development of the city
county or state; and if the world
doesn't move along, and business men
of every sort center right there, it
won't be the fault of this modern
Atlas.
Well do we remember our first
view of Rawlins, then smaller than
now, yet not without ambition. 1t
was in 1878. We had but lately ar
rived by order of the president and
had made our first u over the
U. P. to the western border, with
pauses at nearly every station for in
formation concerning the resources
and condition Of the territory, and
were on the return, halting at such
places as it had been convenient to
pass in going west. Coming down
from the continental divide, the de-
scent rendered steam power wholly
useless; and so, as the train neared
the gateway to the city, the locomo-
tive and baggage car shot ahead,
leaving the train to follow by force
of gravity. 1t was at the close of
day and II of those golden and
glorious days n loves to recall dur-
ing a whole lifetime. The sun was
very neal its setting, and threw over
the scene a flood of mellow light
which so toned and gilded even the
commonest objects that it seemed to
glow with a heavenly radiance.
Soon our feet were on the plat
form where a great company that no
man did number were gathered for
a most cordial welcome. The attend
ing band d~iscoursed sweet music, but
the hearty greeting offered by friend
ly voices was yet sweeter. All in all
it was a welcome never to be for
gotten.
A day under the lead of men such
as Homer Merrell, James France,
Joseph Adams, John c. Friend, ct al,
amounted to a revelation. The paint
mill was running (; the iron mine was
visited, as also the sulphur springs.
Stores, shops and every nook and
corner, not emitting either school,
church or saloon, were duly explored,
so that when we had ended our
peregrinations we could have made
a quite full report in every depart
ment, whether industrial, commerce
ial, social or religious.
The surroundings, too, were swept
with the help of a tele cope and a
yet more far-reaching Imagination;
so that quarries of elegant building
material, the alkali flats. soda lakes,
the copper, silver and gold of Ferris,
the iron, coal gypsum, asbestos, cop
per and gold of Seminole, the mar
velous medicinal waters of Saratoga,
the copper of Grand Encampment-
all these were taken in and made to
seem a part of Rawlins. as indeed
her wide-awake people seem bent on
making them. We could even then
almost see Gold Hill as an emptying
tributary camp.
The birdseye view herewith pre-
scented Is a true copy of the impress
sion that day made upon the brain
of the writer; for. although the sew
eral railroads and other improve
ments shown in the cut had not then
materialized. he nevertheless plainly
saw them with the kindling eye of
faith. Nay he saw yet other things
as in a vision; great factories, thun-
derous workshops. railroads and
pipelines in every direction. extens-
I've commercial houses, banks, high
in her schools. printing houses. pub
lie libraries, splendid churches-in-
deed almost everything but n penl-
Tertiary. What could so worthy n
people want OF such an institution
as that?
In some future number. II may
be our privilege to draw the curtain
again and present more detailed
views of this go-ahead city.-Wyom-
ing State Journal.