| Show A MARVELLOUS GROWTH Ogden the Junction City of the Great West SOUTHERN PACIFIC SHOPS Public and Pah ate Improvements Made During the Year The Natural tins Ihuls > ew Placer 3 > ig gingi sear at Ilinil firo Distinct Itailiraj Tracks Enter the City Much has been written and told of Og dens delightful climate magnificent scenery her great importance as a comp com-p inprcial center and railroad distributing point her favorable location as a manufacturing manu-facturing city and her rich farming districts dis-tricts but in many instances the two most important of her resources the mines and natural gas deposits have been somewhat overlooked Where these latter lavishly abound the other will soon follow as a natural sequence se-quence The great country immediately tributary tribu-tary to Ogden has been abundantly blessed i I by Nature with vast mineral deposits easy I of access the working of which is but avery I very small item attended as it is with GO little labor I I The mountains surrounding the Junction Junc-tion city are seamed with veins of the precious and useful metals which crop I out in every conceivable place Wherever there is a canyon or water way which has been cut in the sides of the mountains by I the action of the elements there will be found signs of ore which in almost every I instance lead to well defined prospects in the immediate vicinity I VAST MINERAL DEPOSITS Situated about eleven miles north of t Ogden near the small city of Willaid are j I vast deposits of iron ore of a most superior super-ior quality Samples have been sent east i and the returns show that the grade ot I the ore is unequalled by the best product of Norway the acknowledged superior of i I i the iron world Several years ago some I local capitalists organized a company and I I purchased a small smelter which they located at the foot of Twentv hrst street The venture proved so successful that the Colorado Coal Coke and lion company I whose base of operations was and is at Pueblo became alarmed and made theO the-O den child then fast assuming the I btaaire of a young giant a glittering glitter-ing offer which was accepted and the little plant was absorbed by the I great Colorado combine Instead of enlarging en-larging the smelters at Ogden as had been promised the company moved the I muchmery IO Pueblo ana all tat now remains re-mains of what had given such abundant promise of being a necleus around which I manufactories and reduction works would have Gathered is a dismantled furnace and some worthless machinery Throuch the untiring efforts of several public I I spirited citizens of Ogden however such will not be the condition of affairs for many months I I With the coming of the Southern Pacific and Rio Grande Western shoos will also come iron smelters and reduction works 1 I the output of which will be consumed in the shops in the manufacture of cars i I I locomotives and steel rails These much I desired improvements have been assured I I and the necessary capital is only awaiting further developments before making I the investment which from the start could not help but pay large dividends I Not only are there iron deposits north of the cit but east and southeast Nearly I I every claim in the La Plata and Ogden I canyon groups gives large returns of a I I good grade of iron and other deposits of I i ore ofT equally as high grade as those I I near W heard and seemingly as iiic uuub tide have been uncovered in the near vicinity vi-cinity With natural gas which is only awaiting the necessary labor to bring it to the surface Ogden is bound to become the Pittsburg of the west and with the ushering in of the new year the tide of progress and prosperity which this time will know no check will begin to flow in and the Junction City will take her place where she belongs at the head of the commercial column NATURAL GAS When the doubts which had existed in the minds of the people of Utah as to the existence in any paying quantities of natural gas in the alley of the Great I Salt lake were dispelled forever by the discoveries made at and near Lake Shore the citizens of Ogden began tounderstand that in order to remain in the race it would be necessary to do a little prospecting prospect-ing for natural gas themselves and financial finan-cial aid was accorded to Denver parties who attempted to find natures own illuminating illu-minating fluid south of the city The latest improved machinery was purchased and a drill was put down to a depth of nearly 600 feet but through mismanage ment the enterprise which started out under such auspicious circumstances I roved a failure and the first movement looking toward discovery of natural gas in the immediate vicinity of Ogden was j i abandoned Early in the fall another I i and more successful venture was placed on foot and the indications j point to the immediate fulfillment I of the promises of the gentleman who e1 names appear on the list as promoters of the enterprise Messrs Stephens and Main representing capitalists oil and I i i gas men of Findlay Ohio have secured se-cured leases to several large tracks of land lying west and northwest of Ogden I i i along the lake and immediately upon the arrival of some special machinery i ordered from Findlay the drills at the first well located in Wilsons lane will be started Derricks and buildings have i i already been erected and every thing is in readiness for work The Ohio and Utah Natural Gas company hal been incorporated incorpor-ated under the laws of Utah and a num ber of Ogden gentlemen have subscribed stock Some time ago when drilling for water near the proposed site of the first big well at a denth of sixty feet the company encountered a heavy flood of gas the force of which was so great as to throw mud sand and gravel twenty feet into the air When lighted the flame shot into the air fifteen feet Inasmuch as the the pipe had only been washed down the gas soon shut itself off and the pipe was withdrawn This flow was conceded to be only a fissure but the experts who visited the well were confident that the main reservoirs would be encountered before be-fore the drill had penetrated 800 feet and the supply would permanent and inexhaustible inex-haustible The company has secured a franchise from the city to lay mains and I there exist no doubts in the minds of Oe dc ns citizens that within six months the streets of the city will be torn up to ad snit of the laving of the lines of pipes sufficient to convey to the dwellings and business houses natural gas from the wells of the Ohio and Utah Natural Gas i company In view of the fact that the discovery of gas is so certain several propositions have been made by reliable I i men to the chamber of conmerc to establish i es-tablish glass works in Ogden One of j the offers made by a gentleman who has been in Ogden some time looking over the situation and who is also interested i in the natural gas enterprise to put in a I plant to cost not less than cO030 and have a monthly paj roll of not less than 510000 is under consideration and may be accepted as the necessary cash bonus has been nearly all guaranteed PLACER GOLD FIELDS The excitement caused by the discovery lof placer gold on Cottonwood Canyon creek one of the feeders of the Weber river bids fair to rival that which is even now turning mens minds the San Juan country and with the opening of spring I the rush to the Morgan county gold fields will be equally as great judging from present indications The discovery was made in early November by L W Tack ett and kept a profound secret lor several weeks until that gentleman had secured two claims When it finally leaked out that placer gold had been found in such quantities and so easy of access prospectors prospect-ors began to make for the prospective El dorado but nature interposed her objection objec-tion and covered the CU n try with a heavy mantle of snow Work on the claims ai ready opened had of necessity to be abandoned aban-doned for the winter and until sp ing I operations will not be resumed Mr Tackett is in thirty feet and has taken oat more than enough gold to pay all working expenses thus far incurred including in-cluding a handsome salary for himself The country in the vicinity of the I claim is of gravelly formation with the usual black sand accompanying Old 19ers who have visited the placers press the opinion that the gold will be found in great quantities when bed lock I is reached which will necessitate the running in of the present tunnel about thirty feet more The precious metal ha evidently sifted through the gravel and sand and lodged on bed rock beneath The search for gold will be resumed by a large army of miners just as soon as the snow clears away THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC SHOPS The most important improvement which Ogden has secured during the past year and in fact since the year in which the golden spike which united the rails of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific was driven by Senator Stantord of California Cali-fornia and almost the sole topic of conversation con-versation in business and financial circles cir-cles is the Southern Pacific shops which will be removed from Terrace Ter-race U T and Carlin Nev and probably Sacramento Cal Several months ago the fouthern i Pacific Railway company being desirous of obtaining ob-taining better facilities for the repair of its rolling stock and the building of engines en-gines and cars made a proposition to the chamber of commerce to remove the Terrace Ter-race and Carlin shops to Ogden and expend I ex-pend at least a half million dollars in the erection of the necessary buildings and purchase of additional machinery Between Be-tween five hundred and seven hundred men were to be employed aud the present monthly pay roll of the company at Og ded swelled to 150000 thereby In con sideration tile city was to pay a cash bonus of fZOOOO > furnish all the brick to I be used in the construction of the buildings build-ings estimated at 1400000 and allow the company the permanent use of one cubic foot of water from the Weber river The offer was laid before the city council and that body appropriated 20000 and granted the water while the Weber county court appropriated 10000 the amount necessary to purchase the bricl Contracts have been signed and work on the proposed site oi the shops was commenced last week a force of men and teams being put to work leveling the land and preparing for the excavasions As soon as the irost has gone out of the ground in tho spring work on the erection of the Rio Grande Western shops and the roundhouses will also be commenced and pushed to an immediate im-mediate completion The city council has appropriated 9000 or as much thereof there-of as is necessary to purchase the lands upon which these buildings will be erected The property is located at the foot of Twentv firt street and is the site of the ofd Ogden iron works It was purchased pur-chased from the Colorado Coal Coke Iron company of Pueblo THIS YEARS BUSINESS The rear 1S92 has been a repetition of its predecessor one of general financial stringency jet the grim hand of depress j ion has laid its hand but lightly upon Ogden and the city has made a splendid j record Over COO public and private i buildings have been elected at a cost of over 500000 This total number of i buildings includes six magnificent public school houses new police court and jail i I buildings Central and Bench fire stations sta-tions Five miles of sewers have been constructed by the present administration and Ogden now has n sewer system unequalled un-equalled in the intermountain region I The fire and police departments of the city have been so increased ana improved that they enjoy the distinction of being the I peers 01 any and the superiors of many in the west Mile after mile of streets drives and boulevards have been laid out and many blocks of sidewalks have been laid out and old streets graded and graveled Two steel bridges one over Weber river and the other over Ogden river and several wooden bridges have been constructed and paid for Three new I parks have been laid out sown to grass planted with trees and otherwise beautified beauti-fied During the present administration I the bonded indebtedness has been increased I in-creased from S1EOOOO to 418000 including I includ-ing a 50 COO issue just authorized by the city council the proceeds of which will be devoted to the funding of the outstanding outstand-ing claims aga nst the city Out of the amount derived through the sale of bonds many muchneeded and magnificent public pub-lic improvements have been made The money has been wisely expended Ogden never had a more progressive mayor and city council than those just retiring from I office and should the incoming administration adminis-tration do as well and erect as many monuments mon-uments to Ogdens growth and general prosperity the people may well feel satisfied satis-fied CITY OFFICIALS The gentlemen who have had charge of I municipal affairs for the past two years are William H Turner Mayor CouncilmenR C Lundy John Mc Manis H H Spencer M N Graves Thomas D Dee H W Shurtliff E M Allison jr J R Elliott Frank Cannon Can-non and James A Calvert The gentlemen who will take their seats on January 1st and conduct the city government for 1593 were elected on a platform of financial reform ret they promise to keep up the work of public improvement commenced by the administration admin-istration of 1889 and 1890 Many improvements j im-provements in the various departments of the city are contemplated and will be I carried out next year Negotiations are now pending for the purchase of additional addi-tional J cemetery and park lands but the present council has decided to leave the final settlement of the question to its successor suc-cessor in office PUBLIC AUDjPRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS Great progress has been made during the year just drawing to a close in the way of public and private improvement j chief among which has been the securing of several factories and manufacturing i establishments With the opening of 1889 a factory was practically unknown in Ogden There are now located within I the city limits over thirty including one of the largest fruit canneries in the west and a tin stamping plant I which will supply the market of I the entire intermountain country during the coming year with tin cans and I all kinds of tin ware The works are t now emFlopinc fifty men night and day i This industrj is one long needed and I gives promiseof expanding into magnificent magnifi-cent proportions Other manufacturing I enterprises are on the tapis and will certainly cer-tainly be established in the Junction City j before the new year has advanced many I months A i j A COMMERCIAL CENTER For good reasons certain points become I great commercial center All such places are terminals of lines of j I j transportation No way station ever became be-came an Omaha 01 a San Francisco Ogden is the terminal railway center between Denver and the Pacific It now has five distinct railway systems and five I track terminals As trains are made up eight railroads end here A aw of Congress fixes the western I terminus of the Union Pacific system here The same law made Omaha its I eastern terminus I The result there has been Omaha and I eight or ten other railroads and terminals A similar effect is being worked out at I I Ogden Today five distinct tracks enter I this city Eight separate train systems I I are operated to and from this place daily over 4181 miles of direct trackage not including branches Below is an exhibit of the eight lines of train service originating origin-ating at Ogden including trunk lines and distances to principal objective points RAILWAY TO MILES FHO OGDEN Union Paclllc Omaha I 03 Utah Northern Helena 185 Oregon Short Line Portland 881 Southern Pacific San Francisco 851 Utah Central Frisco 25 Hio Grande Western Denver i7l Union Pacific Park City il I Utah Northern Preston 81 Direct Mileage 4481 I It was by no accident that Ogden became a young railway metropolis In selecting I the most practicable and direct route from I the richest and most progressive states to I the commercial center of the Pacific I I coast the builders of the Union Pacific I after a careful study of the country I I adopted the course by way of Ogden I Tu1 Decisive reasons were that this was I the shortest and best line It entered the valley of the great Salt Lake where the most valuable or all the lands between eastern Nebraska and California are found In coming into this valley it employed em-ployed the very best of all the openings through the mountains Weber pass I At the western end of that pass Ogden It therefore commands tho main gateway through the mountains moun-tains From there the most practicable route to California was selected From this point the best outlet to the north was found Here the roads coming in from the southeast and southwest joined those that had arrived Naturally and necobbarily all other I I i roaas entering uus valley WILl centre at i OgJeu The Northwestern now as fart I far-t stIS Fort Casper Wyoming will soon reach Ogden The Pacific Short Line j from Sioux Cit was surveyed and projected pro-jected to Ogden Other lines are proposed pro-posed and every planned new line has I made this city its terminus Ogden is I therefore the great railway teminal city of the intermountain countrj In this respect it has no rival nearer than Denver 771 miles away The mil road grades slant downward toward Ogden from all directions for hundreds hun-dreds of miles making it the natural site for smelters and reduction works Ore coal and coke can be shipped to this focus of grades more cheaply than to any other possible point within 1000 miles The principal offices of the Union Paci r fic system radiating from this point are at Ogden The average of loaded cars of freight handled in transit in the Opden yards is 445 per day To this add the car loads of local business and the following remarkable remark-able exhibit is the result Cars in transit 266 WT i Local cars 53uOO Cars handled per year 319075 The railway lines entering Og den all focus at a union depot de-pot the only one in the territory and the most costly passenger station within hundreds of miles The local passenger travel aggregates about 120000 a year and the through travel runs into much larger figures Ogden is a prorating point for railway tariffs on all lines terminating here From these facts it is plain that Ogdens railway advantages are not matched in the west by any town that has not become great Hence its opportunities in this line alone are enough to make it a city of 103000 people within a few years I But its railways are only a fraction of its resources At first thought an inexperienced man I would underestimate the commercial market surrounding Ogden But it is very wide in extent over 1000 miles in diameter In some lines the field is much more extensive There are several jobbing houses in Og den that sell in almost every state in the Union Few houses here distribute over las than 3590 miles of railway Almost every town tributary to Ogden I is growing rapidly They have represented repre-sented a development in population property and business running into hundreds of per cent within ten years past in nearly all cases I No region in the United States can compare com-pare with the field around Ogden in present pres-ent development And the general expansion ex-pansion has only begun Utahs population popula-tion alone will certainly increase 200 pet cent in the next decade and the territory I adjoining will keep up a similar pace I Every town almost in this intermountain inter-mountain region has a trade with miners contractors farmers and stockmen reaching reach-ing away from the railroads for from twenty to fifty miles and their power to support a commercial distributing center can not be compared to towns of equal population in the prairie states Ihe demands that will be made on a natural mercantile radial point like Ogden will certainly multiply several hundred fold within ten years No city in Utah offers greater inducements j I induce-ments to the probable investor than Og den and the field of operations thrown open to the manufacturer are practically limitless Ogden is now entering upon a career of prosperity unequaled before in her history and the tide of capital wearied wear-ied of slow and unproductive investment in the east is setting this way Already the effect is being felt for tho better |
