BUILDING A SKYSCRAPER
GREAT CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES
HISTORICAL, DESCRIPTIVE, COMMERCIAL
INDUSTRIAL
BY
GERTRUDE VAN DUYN SOUTHWORTH
AUTHOR OF “BUILDERS OF OUR COUNTRY,” BOOKS I AND II,
“THE STORY OF THE EMPIRE STATE,” AND
“A FIRST BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY”
AND
STEPHEN ELLIOTT KRAMER
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
IROQUOIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY
GERTRUDE VAN DUYN SOUTHWORTH AND STEPHEN ELLIOTT KRAMER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
316.3
PREFACE
Just as the history of a country is largely the historyof its great men, so the geography of a country is largelythe story of its great cities.
How much more easily history is grasped and rememberedwhen grouped around attractive biographies. Withgreat cities as the centers of geography-study, what isgenerally considered a dry, matter-of-fact subject can bemade to attract, to inspire, and to fix the things whichshould be remembered.
This book, “Great Cities of the United States,” includesthe ten largest cities of this country, together withSan Francisco, New Orleans, and Washington. In it theimportant facts of our country's geography have been groupedaround these thirteen cities. The story of Chicago includesthe story of farming in the Middle West, of the great oreindustry on and around the Great Lakes, and of the variedmeans of transportation. Cotton, sugar, and location areshown to account largely for the greatness of New Orleans.In a similar way, the stories of the other citiessum up the important geography of our country.
Enough of the history of each city is given to show itsgrowth and development. The distinctive points of interestare described so that one feels acquainted with thethings which attract the sight-seer. The commercial andindustrial features are made to stand out as the logical[vi]sequence of fortunate location for manufacturing, forsecuring raw materials, for markets, and for convenientmeans of transportation.
In order to make uniformly fair comparisons, localstatistics have been ignored and all data have been takenfrom the latest government reports.
The authors wish to express their sincere appreciationto the historical societies, to the chambers of commerce,to those in the various cities who have furnished materialand reviewed the manuscript, and to all others who haverendered assistance.
It is hoped that by the use of this book our country,in all its greatness, will mean more and will appeal moreto the boys and girls of America than ever before.
To the publishers of Allen's “Geographical and IndustrialStudies: United States” we are indebted for the useof the map appearing at the end of the text.
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