THE OMAHA SUNDAY TIKE: APRIL 100.
eauHful Seymour Park to Be Transformed Into Busy Factory Town
Soon Ralston Will Rise. in Strenuous Activity Where Deer Once Roamed Through Beautiful Groves in Idyllic Security
B
MACADAMIZED ROAD RUNNING
' STREET OF RALSTON.
NDU3TRY . . and commerce
takes (or Its purposes, its
smoking factories and tall
warehouses, parks, cathe
drals, whole suburbs and
Bjcturesque spots of earth almost by
right of eminent domain.
This ia shown in the plan of Shinier
t j Chase, Omaha real estate dealers;
wjio have a score of engineers and
surveyors at work laying out the new
lpdustrial suburb of "Ralston" in the
830-acre Seymour park, the former,
rural borne of Dr. George L. Miller,
two miles and a half weBt of South
Omaha, where car shops - employing
400 men and other industries are to
be located, together with homes for
almost 2,000 people; stores, a bank
and newspaper, and all other things
necessary for a complete manufactur
ing town.
! Pausing of Dream. 1
, Pastoral scenes in natural and arti
ficial woodlands will be converted into
residence districts; paths where Dr.
Miller's pet deer came trembling from
udderbrush to cat the corn he fed
them, will be transformed into streets
add the natural curves and graces of
nature in forming the rolling surface
ofthe earth will be cut to the straight
lines "of surveyors and engineers.
Acres which seemed without limit and
wjthout bounds will be sold by the
foot as city lots as the town of Ralston
riles like magic. Instead of the noises
e winds in the walnut groves will be
the sounds of engine exhausts and the
whizzing of the forced draughts of the
fortes and the streets of a busy town,
will resound with the laughter of chil
dren on their way to school, Instead of
the calls of mother-birds In the ca
talpa trees.
- But it is all to meet the necessity of
the Greater Omaha and the demands
for more work where there are more
people. V
While the scene is being trans
formed. Dr. Miller is witnessing the
passing of the fondest dreams of his
life. He made it his home many
years ago, and besides the natural
woods of oak which grew in the glens
and valleys, the doctor planted 49,000
black walnut trees, 10,000 black
cherry trees, 10,000 catalpa trees and
more than 20,000 cottonwoods.
Trees Outlive Fire.
After the prairie fire, which swept
over the hills where the trees were
planted, it was found that the seed of
the walnuts had not been killed and
many grew again and in the twenty
five years which have passed since the
fire they have developed into one of
the few black walnut groves of the
country which were , planted in the
west, and their annual yield of fine
walnuts has been a source of delight
to Dr. Miller, who has watched his
dream fade into one stern reality after
another, but has gracefully yielded to
the inevitable. The . black walnut
trees stand today. Through the for
est the engineers and surveyors for
the townslte company 'have cut their
; way," driving the white pine stakes and
j making the destruction of thousands
of trees. Dr. Miller demonstrated
I that the walnut tree was well adapted
! to the climate of Nebraska, which in
the days when the forest was planted
' was considered a blizzard-cursed waste
; by his friends in the east.
'.The great cottonwood grove of 20,-
000 trees has gone like the dreams of
the doctor. They grew to maturity
and thousands of them began to rot.
'X NATURAL BOULEVARD IN THE FUTURE RESIDENCE
I
THROUGH RALSTON
TOWNSITE
They had to bo cut down and de
stroyed, and but a small number of
them will meet the onslaught of the
town builders. The catalpa trees still
Stand, their bloom in the spring and
summer season still making the place
beautiful. The great orchard of
black- cherry trees grew and prospered
and surrounds the site of the old man
sion of Dr. George L. Miller.
8
Tonimllf Once It Deer Park.
Forty acres of the tract which is
now to be a part of the townslte of
Ralston was at one time a deer park
and enclosed with a fence some ten
feet high. In this preserve the deer
prospered for a number of years and
it was one of the pleasures of those
who visited the home and park to
watch the deer come out for their
food. Dr. Miller had them trained
to come up each evening for corn.
Parties of friends enjoyed watching
the fawns creep timidly out from the
pathless woods, only after their moth
ers had led the way and with their
animal language assured the young
that Dr. Miller was their friend and
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SEYMOUR LAKE SITUATED IN THE CENTER OF THE
FORTY-FIVE ACRES.
benefactor. On one occasion thirty
two deer with their fawns appeared
to eat their corn while Dr. Miller was
entertaining a large party, and the
lover of trees and animals says it was
one of the proudest moments of his
life.
But the deer, like the cottonwood
trees, began to die. Everything that
veterinary surgeons and doctors could
do was done to save the nob)e animals.
The stomachs of those which died first
were analyzed, but no taces of a poison
could be found. Then Dr. Miller se
cured some cowboys to go to the park
and 'catch the deer, that he might
place them in the parks of Omaha,
hoping that they would live if re
moved. Several were caught, .but the
doctor finally had the fence torn down
and turned his pets free to wander
over the country and outrun, death if
they could.
Named for Horatio Seymour.
"Seymour park" was named after
Horatio Seymour, former governor of
New York and candidate for president
of the United States, who was the inti
mate friend and associate of Dr. Mil-
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eV '.iKt.f
it
i mT h.
PROPER, TO IjE THE MAIN
ler. Many of the plans for making
the place a beauty spot in the west
were suggested by Mr. Seymour, in
cluding the planting of the great or
chard of 10,000 black cherry trees.
When the great Miller residence
was completed a bust of Horatio Sey
mour was placed in. front of the home,
the art work of which was approved
and praised by Mrs. Roscoe Conkling,
sister of Mr. Seymour. This bust was
presented to the city of Utlca. N. Y.,
after the Miller home burned, and
Theodore Roosevelt, then governor of
New York, went to Utlca with Dr. Mil
ler to assist In its dedication. -
(oiuIiik of Commerce.
Thus one thing after another passed
from the picturesque spot. Great ice
houses were built by a packing com
pany on the shores of the Seymour
park lake and the necessities of the
growing commerce of the west crept
in, a number buying acreage tracts
and making their homes on the Miller
park preserve. Dr. Miller had planned
to make a beauty spot where the best
people of Omaha ( and South Omaha
V
Traveling In cos:.
HE proprietor or a mucago
T
hotel tells In Harper's Weekly
of an eccentric guest who
registered with him about the
time of the simplified spelling
flurry and who undertook, In
an Ingenious way, to show his contempt
for the opponents of tha proposed reform.
When the newcomer spread his signature
on the register It was at once observed
that the name was a most unusual one
E. K. Phtholognyrrh.
"Beg your pardon, sir." said the clerk,
"but how do you pronounce It?"
"Turner," was the reply, "and spelled In
approved fashion, too."
"Will you kindly explain?"
"Simplest thing In the world," said Tur
ner. "First, we have "plith,' the sound of
'f In 'phthisis'; then 'olo," the sound of
'ur' In 'colonel'; thirdly, 'gn,' representing
the sound of 'n' In 'gnat,' and, finally,
'yrrh.' the equivalent of 'er' In 'myrrh.' If
the combination doesn't spell 'Turner,' what
does it spell?"
Aboat Vice President Fairbanks.
Vlco Preaideiil Fairbanks is said to rival
Senator Allison In the skill of replying to
a direct question by talking around It. A
writer In the Sunday magazine relates that
-r- '
J
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DISTRICT OF KaLSTCN.
Gossip and Stories About Noted People
would live, and at one time it had
promise of becoming the site of a great
college, but transportation facilities
could not be secured and the plan was
given up with much regret by the
owner.
Italston "nereeila ffermoar.
Now it is to be called "Ralston,"
after C. A. Ralston of Chicago, who
came to Omaha some two months ago
after visiting many western cities in
search for a suitable location for a big
plant for the manufacture and repair
of freight cars. He said at once:
"I have looked at- sites all over
Omaha and in Kansas City, Dos Moines
and St. Joseph. I know of nothing
which will meet the requirements as
well as the Seymour park property."
Mr. Ralston then made the agree
ment with Shlmer &. Chase to begin
work onthe car shops within sixty
days from March 15, and that his
plant would employ 400 workmen.
He required, in making the agree
ment, that the Omaha real estate deal
ers arrange to build enough houses
to house his workmen, probably 300.
The company at once made arrange
ments to meet the requirements and
surveyors and engineers are" laying
out the new industrial suburb, which
promises to spring into existence with
the same suddenness as the town of
Gary, Ind., which is row being built
by the steel company, or one of the
South Dakota reservation towns',
which grew up In a single day when
Uncle Sam held an Indian reservation
land lottery.
Dr. Miller on the Plan.
Speaking of the plan to convert the
beautiful park into an industrial
suburb, Dr. Miller said:
: -.
RALSTON TOWNSITE. THE FINEST BODY OF WATER IN DOUGLAS COUNTY. COVERING SOME
at the Chicago In 14 Fairbanks deter
mined not to be placed In the attitude of
seeking the nomination for vice presi
dent, or either accepting or declining a
nomination before It was offered to him.
Every effort was made to get some af
firmative or negative expression front him
without the least success.
Finally the Indiana delegates held a
meeting, and as Fairbanks was the head
of the delegation he was present and It
was expected that he would declare him
relf. Different men spoke and pledged the
delegates to obey the slightest wish of
their senior senator, who was the central
figure of the vice presidential situation. If
he wished their support, he could have it;
If he desired them to go out and deny
that he was a candidate, they would do
that and much more to the same effect.
Then Fairbanks was called upon, and
spoke at some length.
After the meeting was over a group of
the most prominent delegates were found
together, and they were nsked what had
been done. s
"Nothing," wns the reply.
"Did Fairbanks speak?"
"Yes. for a quarter of an hour."
"What dd he say?"
"Well. I ll be hanged If I know," ws
the reply of one. and the others acquiesced.
A newspaper man once rushed to Fair
banks when he was senator with a sen
sational dispatch from Indiana. and
wanted to know the facts.
"Come In. I will tell you the facts." said
Fairbanks, and taking the correspondent
into the back ronmTie again carefully read
the despatch, and said:
"The facts are that I do not know a
sinele thing about thl."
"Won't you comment on It?" asked the
correspondent.
"How can I comment when I don't know
anything about It?" asked Fairbanks.
Bhowing his evasiveness.
And for fifteen minutes the debate went
on, and the newspaper man didn't got a
thing upon which he could hang a story.
Klrked Kit her Way. -
Admiral Evans was discussing tile navy
as K UJea to te uoiorn me auvem 01
steam and armorclads.
"There was an altogether differrnt at
mosphere, a different feeling among the
men In the old sailing days," the admiral
said. "There was a greater feeling of af
fection between the men and their su
periors, and whenever anything went
wrong every sailor felt that It was his
right to take It straight to, 'the old man,'
as the captain was called.
"And a Job It was to suit those fellows,
too. I remember that In the ftpanisli war
I had ,two or three of these old salts on
my ship, and as we lay down in that
southern climate e couldn't keep our
water In a decent condition for drinking,
t'p comes Ben, one of my old pallors, to
complain that the water wasn't fit to
drink.
"Well, finally I thought out brilliant
achenie of passing pipes back and forth
through one of the cool rooms, and soon
We had water that was both fresh and j
'-k
fc-sa ... ni
A FUTURE BUSINESS
"God made Eymour park and I
finished the work. It Is, 1 am sure,
one of the beauty spots In the west,
and I want to Bee It always occupied
by the best u people. 1 believe an in
dustrial class to be among the best of
people, but I had hoped to have it the
scene of some of the most beautiful
and elegant homes in the west instead
of the site of hundreds of small cot
tages. I ' have become reconciled to
the proposition which Shlmer & Chase
have put up to me. The name has
already been changed. The place will
be changed still more within a year.
"Personally, I have the greatest
confidence in the plans to build the
town of Ralston, and to locate the car
shops and many other industries in
the suburb. I have such absolute
confidence in the plans and the loca
tion of the car shops and factories
that I am going to make some other
investments and depend on the Ralston
Townslte company to develop the Sey
mour park proposition In such a way
that I will be enabled to meet the
things which I am now obligating my
self to meet.
cold; only ship In the fleet that had It, too.
"I had scarcely settled back to take It
easy when word was braught to me that
Ben Insisted on seeing 'the old man.'
'JX knew there was no stopping him, so
I asked him to come up. He marched Into
my quarters, pulk-d his forelock Just as if
he felt some respect for me, and muttered:
" 'Complaint to make, sir.'
" 'Well, what In It?' I barked back at him.
" 'About tile water. It's too cold. Hurls
my teeth."
" 'Huh! Hurts your teeth, does It? Well,
go and have your teeth pulled.'
"Ben grinned and marched out perfectly
satisfied. He had had his say, ami that
was all he wanted."
Tennyson 'a Tipple.
Tennyson loved to drink port. On one
occasion when Sir Henry Irving paid him
a visit the poet said: "Irving, ou like a
glass of port, don't you?" "Yes, r do."
said the actor, whereupon Tennyson pound
out -a glass of port and finished the bottle
himself. In later years the same little
ceremony was gone through up to a cer
tain point, but on tills occasion the port
was under the doctor's restrictions, and
Irving, in relating the incident aftcrwird,
.aid: "Tennyson, took the glass and
I finished the bottle."
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4
SECTION OF RALSTON SOUTH
"Conditions change in a great and
growing city like Omaha. For a time
It seemed that Seymour park would be
needed only for fine residences, but
now it is needed for factories and
workingmen's homes as welk The
men who are fortunate enough to se
cure property in this suburb will have
the most beautiful place In the west
to live."
What It Mean to Omaha.
. The plans of Shimer & Chase for a
suburb with a definite purpose will
mean more toOmaha than Pullman,
111., and Gary, Ind., have to Chicago.
A townslte company has been or
ganized and the 'Opening sale of lots
will be held In early May to give those
who wish an opportunity to secure
residence or trackage property In the
suburb.
Scarcely had the announcement
been made that the new town was to
be built than 150 business men of
Omaha got behind the movement and
took shares In the townslte company.
Shimer &' Chaso had worked hard for
more than a year to locate some big
industry, in the suburb and at last suc-
ceeded. These 150 business, men will
become a "booster club" for Ralston,
and thousands of circulars and de
scriptive pamphlets have already been
sent to business houses in all parts of
the United States. Wherever an Jn
dustry ia seeking a new home or a
firm determines to organize a company
for a new industry, the Ralston Boos
ters club will get in with a bid for the
location. Among the factories which
have been told of for the new industrial
suburb and which are considering the
matter of locating in Omaha are a
piano factory, automobile factory,
foundry, stove foundry, starch works,
canning factory and a large horse col
lar and saddlery factory.
IIIk Help to Growth.
With the Ralston Boosters' club and
the committee of the Commercial club
on Iho location of Industries working
together for the new town, it is one
Of the most promising prospects which
Omaha has of attaining the coveted
200,000 population before January 1,
1910. . ,
The Missouri Pacific and Burlington
railroads already pass along the edge
of the townslte. The Burlington will
"ENGINEERS LAYING OUT THE TOWN OF
... .... .w r-.- ,
Y", 'iTrrmm
OMAHA' TO THE EAST.
build a depot and will call the station1
"Ralston." The Burlington formerly
maintained a station at. Seymour Park,
but when the depot burned did not re
build. The Missouri Pacific has a
station at Seymour Park and there Is
regular train aervice to and from the
park, all local trains of the company
making the stop. Already some
freight is handled at the ' station.
When. the sale of lots Is held the, Mis
souri Pacific will run special trains
from Omaha to the suburb.
Platting of the Towa.
The site of the car works is along
the Burlington and Missouri Paclflc(
main lines. Here for halt a mile is
room for a score of factories on either
side of the tracks.
The town of Ralston Is to be lo
cated back of the factory sites on the
hills, which rise gently from the rail
road tracks until they reach a height
of fifty feet above the railroads.
When the trees are cleared away
the cities of Omaha and South Omaha
may be seen from the high points of
ground, while stretching away to the
west miles and miles of fields and
many wooded spots may be seen, giv
ing the residents a view of busy cities
on one side and the country, almost
as wild and free as when created, on
the other.
The lake adjoins the townsite. and
natural boulevards, developed by Dr.
Miller, lead to It. It may be reached
In " several different directions, the
boulevards always winding around the
lake shores. .
Communication Is Knar.
Just two miles and a half directly
west of South Omaha1 the macadam
ized West Q street turns to the left
and winds through the tract known
as Seymour park. The road, is one of
the best kept' in the county, the
macadamizing being new and as hard
and level as a brick-paved city street.
Across the Pappio creek, which winds
through the section, solid concrete
bridges havi hpen built. A great via
duct is now being constructed, which
will take thej last hard hill out of the
West Q street road and make both
driving for pleasure and hauling heavy
loads as easy as in the city where hills
have been eradicated. The street
runs parallel with the wonderful
"Lane cut-off" of " the " Union ' Pacific
Railroad company, which is in 6lgBt
of both the street and the townslte of
Ralston.
Two street car lines are projected
for Ralston, either of which would
give first-clais service to Omaha, and
one to South Omaha. The line of the
Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Rail
way campany now runs to the city
limits of South Omaha, almost within
walking distance of Seymour park.
This line runs straight through
Omaha, clear to Ames avenue and
Florence.
Another routa which is proposed for
Ralston is an extension of the west
side llanscom park line, which has
Just been built south on Thirty-second
street. The promoters will favor
either line and adjust the property at
Ralston according to the wishes of tha
traction company.
As Btreet cars always follow traffic,
there is no doubt but what' the line
will be extended, as Ralston promises
to be a town of 2,000 people within
a year, if no other people go there
except those who will be working at
the car'sh,ops and running the stores,
which will be necessary to supply
them their needs.
RALSTON.
