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Beatrice
1891
In
the southeastern part of the State, on the Big Blue River, is located the
county seat of Gage County, Nebraska—the charming little city of Beatrice, of
14,000 in habitants.
Its
beautiful natural advantages, its shade trees, winding drives, elegant and
tasteful homes surrounded by well-kept lawns, have won for Beatrice the title
of the Queen of the Blue. And
richly is the name deserved, for the invigorating climate and perfect system of
sewerage make Beatrice a queen of cities from a sanitary point also.
In
modern improvements the city is not deficient—streets paved with brick produced
from our own factories; a Holly system of water-works affording the very best
of fire protection. The streets and homes are well lighted with electric lights
and gas, while horse car and motor lines afford rapid conveyance from one point
to another.
Financially
the city is flourishing, the combined capital of the banks being $600,000. A
building association with a capital stock of $200,000 is among the city's
institutions. Manufacturing industries are well represented, and in them over a
million and a half dollars are invested.
The
opening here is good for wholesale and jobbing houses. The railroads,
recognizing the advantages of location, commercial importance, and railway
connection that Beatrice possesses, recently placed the city on parity with all
Missouri River cities, thereby enabling shippers at Beatrice to reach the trade
in southern Nebraska and northern Kansas on an equal basis with their competitors
at those points. The railroads centering
here are:
From
Chicago, the C, B. & Q., the C, R. I. & P., and the U. P.; from St.
Louis and Kansas City, the B. & M. R. R.., the C K. & N., the O. & R.. V., and the K. C. & B.
A
leading attraction of this stirring little city is the Chautauqua Association,
that has just closed its third annual session. It is situated on the Big Blue
River, just outside the city limits, the motor line affording transportation
to and from the grounds. The natural beauty of these grounds is unsurpassed,
with a water-course of four miles supplied with the double-decked steamer, the Quern of the Blue, capable of
carrying three hundred passengers; shady drives and walks, and a brood stretch
of lawn, dotted with white tents and picturesque cottages. The Association has erected a tabernacle
capable of seating ten thousand people, as well as a number of smaller balls.
The session just closed bas been a successful one and the Chautauqua gains each
year in popularity and attendance.
The
educational advantages of Beatrice are something to be proud of:
Nine
city schools, seven of which are fine brick buildings: Prof. Blake's Academy, a
private school of high order and great refinement; St. Joseph's R. C. School,
A Kindergarten, and a Business College,
steadily growing in attendance.
The
State Institute for Feeble-Minded Youths is located east of the city, in
commodious and perfectly arranged buildings.
Beatrice
has a public library, well equipped with over two thousand books; a Business
Men's Club, occupying luxuriant and tastefully appointed rooms; nineteen
churches, eight hotels, two opera-houses, a W. C. T. U. and Y. M. C. A., both
strong in numbers. Masonic, I. O. O. F. and secret societies are well
represented and flourishing.
During
the year 1800 the records in the office of the Register of Deeds show 1,774
transfers of real estate, the consideration paid being two and one-half million
dollars.
Beatrice
is situated in the very centre of the richest part of the agricultural region
of Nebraska, which is particularly adapted to the cultivation of wheat, of
which there are In Gage County this year 30,739 acres; also 157,281 acres of
corn, 30,877 acres of oats, 2,360 acres of rye, and 16,068 acres of flax,
making a total of 247,125 acres. The total acreage of the county is 505,353.
The number of acres under cultivation above mentioned does not Include pasture
lands or orchards, which will bring the grand aggregate up to fully 400,000
acres in actual cultivation, having but a trifle over 100,000 acres of wild
land in the county. In fact, no county In the West can show such a degree of
prosperity.
The North American Review – No. CCCCXVI
- 1891
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