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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1912)
Hfsfotlfa! Society ST. JOHNS REVIEW IT'S NOW UP TO YOU J Toiubcrlbfl for THIS Paper All the ruwi while l( W news U J " . I- I V J GET IN THE HABIT J Oftdvtrtliliiiln THIS Ppr UUT luulltJa wan 111 anu vmuii I , i H i tn -! . -ndvoa-llD-Mf rtirittl. II,. j lladoactaudkttpilitiut II MHHllIMMMMlMMW i. Devoted to (he Intereiti of (he Pcnlniula, the Manufacturing Center ot the Northwest New Year's Number VOI,. 8 ST. JOHNS, ORKGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1912. NO. 9 A REMARKABLE GROWTH Story of St. Johns' Phenomenal Development from a Village Set in Firs to a Modern, Thriving City It has been the history of the founding ami building of every great city that those who laid tlte found n tiou ior future greatness sought pri manly a location affording natural means ot transportation; the great est cities of the world today stand upon the banks of the navigable rivers or arc btiildcd by the harbors that afford anchorage for the deep est draft vessels that go down to the seas. The great transcontinental and trunk railway systems seek these places as their terminals, for after all it is the ocean-going craft that make possible the construction of the great railway systems. What, then, arc the possibilities of a city that is built upon one of the greatest inland waterways of the United States and at the same time affords rail trausortation over the lines of two of the greatest rail way systems of the world ? Such a city is St. Johns, the key to the transportation on the Colum bia and Willamette rivers. A few years ago there stood on what is now one of the most pros perous manufacturing cities of the Northwest a few scattered dwellings and one or two small iudustrys in a vast forest oi firs. The din that follows in the wake of development, the shriek of the whistles of facto rics, and the buzzing of the saws of mills were seldom heard. Tlte principal sound emanating from the industrial or commercial world was the splashing of the wheels of a passing river steamer, which plied on its ways to ports on the Colum Jila. . . Hut the genius of commerce and Industry docs not long allow loca tions that offer pre-eminent advan tages to remain unutilized. Adjoining St. Johns lay the great city of Portland. Her future great ness depends upon her water trans portation facilities. St. Johns is nearer the mouth of the Columbia and the confluence of that mighty stream and the Willamette. The possibilities opened by this fact were first realized and appre ciated by what is now known as the St. Johns Lumber Co., which has one of the largest saw mills on the Pacific Coast. A small and com paratively inslguificcut mill was in stalled. Then one by one other captains of industry, with far seeing and unerring judgment saw the wonderful opportunity offered them at St. Johns. With the establishment of these industries began the building of St. Johns, which today stands high above the water frout on a wide spreading plateau, and is a city of 5,000 inhabitants, throbbing with the multitudinous activities of a manufacturing center. But it is with modern St. Johns, the gateway to the Willamette and the key to the transportation of Portland and southerly cities on the magnificent stream that drains one of the richest and largest val lies 011 the face of the globe, known as the Willamette valley, that we wish to deal with in this article. Almost within her city limits is the entire point of the peninsula, -whose point is washed by the waves oi both the Columbia aud the Wil lamette, St. Johns has a gieat wa ter frontage. The day is not far distant when this entire water front will be a solid line of docks and in dustrial plants. It is inevitable, because with the and for industrial activity will in crease in proportion to the increase in population. Great transportation experts have declared emphatically that the pc niusula, in other words, St. Johns, is eventually to become the New York of the West. That the possibilities of this city lias been appreciated by many pro gressive business men and investors is clearly evidenced by the fact that ten years ago the taxable property in this city amounted to $200,000; now it aggregates j,soo,ooo, uud there was expended during the vear just closed, for public improve incuts alone, one and a half times tin entire valuation of the citv at earlier date, or $300,000. This remarkable growth has not been in any way the result of tut natural methods, nor can it be classed with the boom variety. It was the natural, inevitable result of a full comprehension and realiza tlnn of a desirable location on the part of thousands of progresslv American people, coming from cv cry section of the United States to the Northwest the land of oppor tuuity aud to .St. Johns the com iug metropolis of this mighty em pirc, embracing the states of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah Nevada, Northern California am: Oregon, with all their wotidcrfu resources: their great fields of wav ing grain, their flocks feeding on 1 thousand hills, their orchards am! viuyards, their forests and mines Controlled by the wonderful Western variety of progress.thc in hamtaiHs ot fat. Johns have .sur rounded themselves with all the in stitutious that arc the product of modem times. A magnificent citv hall, built on the old colonial style of architecture, graces one of the prominent locations of the city, providing a home tor the municipal othcers and shelter for the perform auce of all civic functions. While this is essentially ami pri marily a manufacturing and Indus trial center, the rail of modern times for education of the younger generation has not remained uuheed ed. Today St. Johns points with pardonable pride to one of the very finest high school buildings in the entire state, which was erected at a cost of f.10,000, while three gram mur or graded aud n catholic school are afforded those of the children who have not as yet advanced to the high school curiciiltim. True to their history the churches of all denominations have one by one established themselves in our midst as the population in creased and the demand for spirit ual ministrations grew. The Meth odist, United Kvangelical, Baptist, Congregational, Christian, Advent 1st. German Baptist and Catholic, and many of the societies banded together for religious worship, have splendid edifices here. The moral atmosphere of St. Johns is such that 110 person need hesitate to invest, build a residence, make a home and rear their child ren in this environment. The peo pie of St, Johns believe in so regu luting the affairs of their city that it shall rank high with those of this and other states as a city of homes as well as a city of industry. Absolutely necessary to the per manent and enduring greatness of any city are public service corpora tions that serve the public in the fullest sense of the word. In this respect St. Johns can boast of bet the operates an excellent streetcar serv ice between this city and Portland, the fare for the nine mile ride to the center of Portland, being only five cents. In connection witli the streetcar service is maintained the Portland Suburban Rxpress compa ny, which runs dally freight and express cars between this city and our adjoining neighbor on the south. The Mt. Hood Railway, Light and Power company also furnishes light The metropolitan appearance of the main busiiieM streets of this city invariably imptcsses the tterson . .... . . ,. i . .. . . . who ior inc ursi nine enters us gates. Substantial, costly, hand some brick and stone structures line the main Streets, affording who are at the head of these con- Western States, to whose people th .plenum inciimvH ior store rooms, office buildings, etc. In this connection it, perhaps, is these industrial plants located with suit of careful research into the in the city limits of St. Johns, cm mysteries of psychology and mental pioying irom 25 to 350 men coclt, I science. and with payrolls aggregating from In no section of the United States 1 . . . ... - ' , .,. . f jiuw i" 515.00a per iiiouiu. , uasine cuaugc come so rapidly, so it is self-evident that the men ! completely and cflicientlv as in the Plans Practical Work ' cents would not have located in St. I Johns unless there was a well de 1 fined reason for it, and a decided well to lay stress on the fact that : advantage iu doimr so. The rea those desiring to build here will son is that we are six miles nearer find that the building material can ! the mouth of the Columbia river. be obtained cheaper than in the the crent outlet to the Pacific ocean. greater centers of population, due i than is Portland, the metropolis of to the fact that the many industries iOrecon; below the inanv bridees on tlte water front are turning out I which span the river iu the con building material of every charac gested district of the bin citv and tcr, including lumber, sash, doors, retard maritime operations' iu spite windows, etc., while several big 'of all regulations. Here we have tirms arc extensive dealers iu lime. cement aud like material. marvelous development that is now going on in the Northwest, and ; ter facilities than any city in with the two great railway systems Northwest of comparative size, .seeking this peninsula as a terminus . The Portland Railway Light & .for their all-theway water grader Power Co. one of the foremost pub lines from the mountain passes lie service concerns in the West, that give entrance to the Kast, the 1 furnishes ample transportation, demand for manufactured articles' lighting and power facilities. It New City Dock A city of 5000 population, sit uated right along side a city of 250,000 with iiiteiurbau car service- is indeed tlte exception. Our mer chants carry such a splendid grade and variety of goods, ami our fac tories ami industrial plants cover . ' ril.llltt nf din -ri frn.i Cmtw ..11 ,.1. Mructions. One of the factors that promises to contribute largely to this city's further development ami well being is a strong commercial club of al most 150 members, recently organ ized. The services of one of the best publicity promoters of the antiquated is repugnant and the modern attractive. It was unnec essary, iu n large measure, for the Western States to discard the old methods of 50 years ago, because this is practically a new country. Tlte schools have grown up with the section and possess that virile. progressive spirit that characterizes ' entitles it to become. everything iu the West and espc 1 The new club Is zealously yet ctauy 111 tins great Northwest. surewdly attacking the big task Tlte public school system of Ore ' that lies before It. It has elected gon is recognized as one of the best ' n live president, an active board of in the United States. Its super) directors, an alert, html ivnrL-i'm. - r Much is hoped by the citizens of St. Johns from the new commercial c lib recently organized to put the city where it belongs, on the com mercial map of Oregon. A number of problems are to be solved, reforms to be carried through, before St. Johns can eel into its strldi. aud finally become one of the great manufacturing centers of the coast as its river and railroad situation visors and its instructors arc trained capable jwrsous, who have made a life study of their work ami who throw an enthusiasm into it that spells success iu every instance. We can solely declare, backed by the knowledge that our statement is tiueqiiivocubly correct, that St. v. -fc.ua -v titi 1 1 1 111 ii . WEYERHAEUSER LUMBER CO. a PROPOSED DRY DOCK 3 SHIP BUILDING YARDS -ft WOOLEN MLLS S. MODE Ft N MACHINE IVOR At 6. DOUGLAS PLANING MILL. 7.tSOBES FLOUR MILL Q.WCST COAST LAUNDRY. 9.ST.UOMNS FERRY. fO.ST. UOHNS LUMBER CO. It.MARNE tRON WORKS. USSTEEL SHIP BUtLONG PLANT. ?. VENEER FACTORY. BRASS AND RON FOUNDRY. IS. DRY DOCK . 1 6. PORTLAND SEATTLE BRIDGE. 17. RCMINSULA LUMBER MILL. 10. ALCOHOL AND TURPENTINE PLANT, and power to a large percentage of people, giving most excelleut serv- ce. 1 he bt. Johns was company supplies gas for light and heat and most successful In meeting the needs of its patrons for all purposes at a very reasonable rate. lit nearly every instance the first uestious that a person asks when contemplating investing iu a city is concerning the water system. St. ohns cau boast of as good water as any city in the state, better than the majority, it having been ana lyzed by the state chemist and de clared to be pure. The water sup ply is stored iu huge tanks, with sufficient pressure iu the stand- pipes to furnish every residence iu the city with water for every nec essary purpose. Judiciously scattered throughout the city are fire plugs, with a heavy pressure, which, combined with a well organized, and equipped fire department, gives ample protection from conflagration to the citizens. The Pacific Bell Telephoue and Home Telephone companies, two of the largest telephone systems in the United States.lserve fat. Johns. Municipally owned and controlled the city dock, erected on the water front, affords the hundreds of ves sels that ply the Willamette dock ing facilities. At the first glance it might ap pear that with such extensive im provements in this city the tax rate would be abnormally high. Such, however, is not the case, as the books show that the rate is such a wide range, that every ne cessity of life is obtained iu St. Johns. Differing from other cities iu the Northwest St. Johns is not depend ent on back country for her pros perity; it does not depend 011 the seasons; droughts have no effect on her; crop failures do not decrease her bank deposits. The output of her industries are shipped to every section of the United States ami to every important pott of the world. It is always in demand. St. Johns is essentially an indus trial and manufacturing center aud Northwest have been .secured at a Johns possesses a. school system that large salary, aud his energies will is second to none in tlte entire state, concentrate in exploiting St Johns Many pupils have come to St. and attracting more industries to Johns from ISastern States and this favored locality. Almost four found the curriculum here much iu thousand dollars will be sx.-nt this advance of that iu their native state, year iu publicity work by the club, and for that reason have been com With the onward march of the twentieth century civilization hove come some marvelous revelations iu invention and science. As we have advanced industrially and commercially, so wc have advanced Intellectually aud no science has made greater strides or undergone more drastic changes than has that it is to these plauts that were sever- of pedagogy al years ago established here aud , The modern school and universi that are now being established here, that she owes her greatness. Their immense payrolls go to swell tlte accounts of her merchants, to in crease her taxable property, and to aid iu the general development of the city. There are a dozen or more of ty of today no more resembles the old field school or academy of yes terday, than does the stage coach the automobile. The old, anti quated, inadequate methods have been discarded and the child or young man or woman of today is in structed along lines that are the re- Woolen Mills pelled to go over the work of a low er grade before being permitted to enter the one they left in the Host. This fact is significant iu that the school system of Oregon is a super iur one and that it is maintained iu St. Johns at its highest standard, Kxcelletit school facilities are among the most valuable assets a city can possess, as the prospective settlers first of all inquires concern ing them. If they be poor or inad equate, the persons who contem plated making a city home, or en tering iu business iu it, determines to seek another location where the proper advantages will be afforded his children. Au instance of the splendid effi cieitcy ot the work accomplished in the St. Johns schools is that they ob tained the silver medal on their ex hibit at Alaska-Yukon-Pacific lix position held in Seattle last year. Medicines that aid nature are al ways most effectual. Chamberlain's Cough Remedy acts on this plan, It allays the cough, relieves the lungs, oikmis the secretions ami aids nature iu restoring the system to a healthy condition. Thousands have testified to its superior excellence. For sale by all dealers. secretary, and .several commit toiM. has chosen commodious quartets, engaged an organization mid pub licity manager, raised ample funds to carry the undertaking through for 0 year - with more promised if the club makes good and by Jan uary 15 will be ready to begin the work mapped out. What a prominent member calls "the ills of St. Johns" the draw l.rlfl. (I. m 1. ...... . . ... .. .iv.i.i nun iiiivu ieveiiicti iiiecuy s development along its destined Hues will be first attempted to Ik remedied. When good hendwnv is made iu this work, efforts to sccttrn new industries will be made. Another aim is to make St. Johns nu attractive residential district. Na ture has done its part in the way of fine scenic effects aud the citv council has helped by spending this year alone $300,000 on civic mproveinents. Diirinn its seven- year evolution from the wilderness to a modern citv of (iooo twnnl... the city lias erected a lartre 1111 1ii dock and a fine high school build- tug, to mention but two of its nota ble constructions. Several wealthv Portland men have moved to St. Johns aud built costly and beautiful residences. Many of the people em ployed iu Portland live iu St.Inhtw. where they buy lots nnd build homes cheaper than iu the In rum- city, and have lower taxes to pay. '11... ...r 1 ,!. . 1 - V ' . 1 iiw iviijiiiirt immcdiaiciy aimed at by the new commercial club ate: A hotter car service to Portlantn daily jwstal delivery (the whole population now journeys twice a lay to the postoihee for mail): a free approach to the citv dock. which now costs f 10 u dny iutuiet on the 'foo.ooo investment and earns nothing; n good highway or electric railroad to Kenton; to get river steam packets to stop at St. Johns to laud ami take 011 pft.in gers; larger uud better euuipmul Hilicc ami fire duimrtmeiits: the to tal and cvcrlastiiu almlition of iiiosMmckism" in St, Johns w that several iuiortoiit thorough fares leading to Portland can lit improved ami made possible ami that valuable deep watur frontage can be made available for foctory sites at present held ot prohibitive trices. These are a few of the ieforiui the commercial club Iioihm to ac complish. The club al aim-; to gut iu with other organisation to tulp develop ami boom the resourc es uud attractions of Western Ore gon. The project to top the .streams of the Cascades so as to irritate the Willamette valley during thedry season, will have the support of tlte St. Johns Commercial club. which will also do its bust to en courage the Mount Hood Railway company's project on the I'eniiiMilu. As the largest ocean croft can come up to St. Johns, where (lie 'ort of Portland has an iiiimen- ry dock, the watur froiitane huie offers a situation unparalluiiKl for the establishment of large indus tries. On the north side tltu Col umbia river needs but to be dredged in parts to offer superb sliiimlii facilities to manufacturers. On tint Willamette side there are 12 or 15 important industries, including two arge lumber mills, and over the river there is quite a cluster of in dustries, including the govuriimunt dock. Direct connections with this thriving district, aud witli the arge farming territory in the Tual tin valley lying south of it, will be had before spring, through the free ferry to be oierated by thu county of Multnomah. It is ox- pected St. Johns and the entire pe ninsula will benefit larguly by the increased traffic aud trade resultant therefrom. flie officers of the club, who will direct its campaign for a gruotur St. Johns, are: President, Prank Test, assistant superintendent of the Portland Woolen Mills located at St. Johns; 30 directors, compris ing tlte solid uud representative men of the city; publicity manager, Ii. I. Crawshaw; secretary, A. W. Markle, editor St. Johns Ruviuw. Portland Journal. Por Rent. Furnished liousckuu-k tig rooms, 109 west lltirr street 21 blocks to Burr station Phone, Col, egon of similar size. Por Insurance see F.W. Valentine 184. If. ower than in any other city in Or