710
THE WEST SHORE.
even more than that of the present
Uusiness men, recognizing the advan
tages the townsito possessed, invested
their means and settled down with the
intention of making this their future
homo and field of activity. This spirit
haa wrought wonders, and is still work
ing toward greater achievements. Alad
din's cahtle waa created in a night, but
the power which brought it into being
removed it with equal celerity. Not so
with this magical city. Its growth was
almost as phenomenal, but even its cre
ators have not the power to undo the
work of their hands, and Yakima will
bo numbered among the leading cities
of the West when the name of every
man who gavo it birth shall have been
forgotten.
In the center of the great system of
rivers and valleys which constitute the
Yakima country, lies the city which will
Iw the metropolis of the surrounding
hills, valleys and mountains when they
shall havo become the homes of many
thousands of people. Nature has open
ed tho mountains that the waters of a
vaht region may unito their volumes
here, anil has provided passes through
tho mountains, by easy grades, for rail
roads to beat from this point to the sea
tho products of a great and rapidly de
veloping region.
When tho Northern Pacific decided
to begin actual construction upon the
Cascades division, tho officials of tho
land dejwirtment inado a careful examin
ation of tho Yakima country. It waa
plainly evident that in this region there
would spring up a largo inland city, tho
center of trado for tho great agricultur
al, mineral and timber district through
which tho road would run. Being also
tho geographical center of tho territory,
and, when the road was completed, the
point most accessible from all portions
of it, there seemed little doubt that a
city, tuiUbly located and properly laid
out, would receive the general preference
for the state capital, when, in the wis
dom of congress, the time should arrive
for tho admission of Washington into
the sisterhood of states. Their examin
ation resulted in tho decision that the
site described above was the natural
commercial center of the country. In
this valley they found the town of Yaki
ma City, containing about five hundred
people, and transacting the business for
a large portion of this new and sparsely
settled region. In several respects the
town did not meet the requirements for
a great inland metropolis, and the offi
cials were compelled to decide between
adopting it, with its imperfections, or
founding a new one. The latter course
was decided upon, as being the wisest
one to pursue, and a site, in every way
eligible, was selected, three and one-half
miles north of the old town. This was
surveyed and laid out in blocks, lots,
streets and alleys, with plots reserved
for public uses, state capitol and other
buildings of a public and educational
character. To compensate the people of
the old town as much as possible, the
company offered to donate to such of
them as would remove their buildings to
North Yakima, the name chosen for the
town, or wou'd erect new ones there,
business and residence property equiva
lent in value to that occupied by them
in tho old town.
As soon as this decision was an
nounced, there was a great rush of en
terprising business men to tho new town
site. The company immediately began
the construction of depot, side tracks,
etc, and tho work was commenced on
two score of buildings almost in a day.
Several business men of the old town,
clearly appreciating the situation, im
mediately began the removal of their
buildings, or tho construction of new
ones, upon lots accepted on the compa
ny's proposition. Others held back and