HASTINGS.

     One hundred and fifty miles west of the Missouri River, in the center of the finest agricultural country known to man, 1,900 feet above sea level, rests the beautiful and prosperous City of Hastings. Why is it here? Because the sandy desert fallacy of Fremont and Richardson has been exploded, and it has been proven that Nebraska is the great agricultural and stock-growing State. The early pioneer came here and disputed the right to occupy Nebraska soil with the buffalo, the coyote and his half brother, the red man. He came with his family, a yoke of oxen, a cow, a plow, and a shot-gun. He cultivated the soil and the Indian stole his crop. The coyote ate up his calf, pigs, and chickens, and he then commenced a new line of cultivation, with a shotgun. His numbers increased and his enemies fell back. The railroad with the iron horse followed the pioneer and more immigration came with the railroad. Wise men foresaw the necessity of a large city in Western Nebraska.
     Hastings, being centrally located in this vast agricultural region, was chosen as the spot for such a city. The second road came and formed a junction. Then came merchants, wholesale and retail. Manufactories came. In 1872 there were not a dozen people living upon the present site of Hastings. Now it has more than 15,000 people. Then there was not a tree or shrub upon this vast expanse of prairie. Now Hastings is the most beautifully shaded city in the West. Then the coarse prairie bunch grass formed lawn, pasture and meadow. Now the finest of blue grass lawns are everywhere in the city. Hastings has become the wonder of the West.
      The importance of Hastings as a commercial center has been recognized by all roads now traversing the State from east to west, and, of the other lines now seeking routes through the south half of the State, none of them have ever contemplated giving Hastings the go-by. Hastings is, as has been mentioned above, the commercial center of a rich agricultural country. It should be a manufacturing center as well. The demands of the people of a vast area of surrounding country should be supplied from here. Our railroad system affords the best facilities for the distribution of manufactured goods. Another chapter in this book calls attention to manufacturing needs. We now have a few factories doing a good business. Among these are a cereal mill which uses up 600 bushels of grain per day, and sends its products to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Washington, California, Texas and Australia, and a roller patent flouring mill, with a capacity of 200 barrels of flour per day. Its output also goes west and south. Several car loads of this flour have been shipped as far south as Atlanta, Ga, and Galveston, Texas.
   A pickle factory, put into operation this year, has been putting down from seventy to 150 bushels of pickles daily, ever since the season commenced, and will continue at this rate as long as the season lasts. Next year the capacity of this factory will be doubled.
     A wire and picket fence factory builds fence faster and cheaper than an Indiana man could lay it up if he had his rails split and strung along the line.
     A large factory for the manufacture of corn cutting machines will be ready for operation this fall.
     A sash, door and blind factory, with a capacity of thirty-five hands, is in operation.
     A patent vulcanite roofing factory has been erected this season and is in active operation, with orders for all the work it can turn out.
     Seven cigar factories employ an average of eighty-five hands.
     Three harness shops, two wholesale and one retail, employ 100 people.
     A metallic roofing and cornice factory employs thirty hands.
     Our foundry and machine shop is obliged to turn work from its doors for lack of capacity to do all the work offered.
     A large cold storage plant, the largest in the West, handles thousands of dozens of eggs, and thousands of pounds of butter each day.
     A wagon and carriage factory, employing twenty-five hands, turns out excellent work.
     Three large brick yards have a capacity of 750,000 brick per day. The buildings in this city are built from brick manufactured here.
     The largest bridge works in the State are located here.
     A refrigerator factory will be erected during

the approaching winter. This refrigerator is the development of a new idea in cold storage.
     The largest and finest natatorium in the West is located here.
     The asylum for the incurable insane, the largest charitable institution in the State, is located here. The original building, aside from the 160 acres of land, cost $250,000. The last Legislature appropriated $255,000 for this institution, $90,000 of which was for two additional wings, which are now in course of erection.
     Represented by cuts in this book are many public and private buildings. Among these are the asylum for the incurable insane, the two buildings of the Presbyterian college, the Visitation Academy, the county court house, the city hall, the Lepin and Commercial Hotels, Masonic Temple building, the high school building, several ward school buildings, the Nebraska Loan and Trust building, the gas and electric light plants, the opera house, banks, and churches, several fine business buildings, fine residences, and other buildings insufficient number to show the general make up of the city.
     The secret society man need have no fear that he will not find a brother in Hastings. We have Masons, from the "blue lodge" to the "Mystic Shriners"; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Elks; Red Men; Good Templars; Ancient Order of Hibernians; Sons of the Orient; A. O. U. W.'s; G. A. R.'s; Sons of Veterans; and about every other modern society.

THE CHURCHES.

     Here the Christian and church member will find a home. Churches of all denominations are here. The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Congregational, German Lutheran, Catholic, colored Methodist, and, in fact, all denominations have fine edifices and are well sustained. A commendable rivalry exists between several of the churches as to which shall have the best choir and many people make it a point to come to Hastings on Sunday for the sole purpose of attending church, hearing an excellent sermon, and listening to some extra fine music and singing. The Presbyterian Church of this city is one of the finest in the State and its acoustic properties are unexcelled anywhere It has a $5,000 pipe organ and an excellent choir. The other denominations have fine churches. The welfare of the soul is neither neglected or forgotten. Besides the churches we have the Young Men's Christian Association, with well furnished and well appointed rooms, gymnasium, reading room, bath room, etc.
     We also have the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the young women's branch of the same, the boys' branch of the Y. M. C. A., and other like societies.

BENEVOLENT.

     Hastings has a free hospital open to the unfortunate residents of the city or the stranger. This institution has trained nurses, an excellent corps of physicians and surgeons, and a well filled prescription case.
     We also have a Bethany Home. where many an unfortunate woman has found refuge, and through which many orphan children have found respectable homes. Hastings does not lack in charity or charitable institutions.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.

     The resident remnants of the war are entitled to special mention in this work. The post has more than 150 members. They own their lot and a good two-story brick building. The second story is used by the post and the ground floor is rented to the government for city post office. There is also a Woman's Relief Corps with a large membership. These two organizations look after the needs of the distressed soldiers, their widows and orphans, attend the funerals of soldiers, and decorate the soldiers' graves in the cemeteries.

AS A CONVENTION CITY.

Owing to our superior railroad facilities and central location, Hastings is the convention city of the State. Several times within the last three or four years Hastings has been called upon to entertain more than five thousand delegates and spectators to State and congressional conventions. This has been done to the satisfaction of all, and with the completion of another large hotel, now in contemplation, we will offer still greater attractions to conventions and other large assemblages.

UNITED STATES COURT.

     Hastings is one of the cities of Nebraska designated as a place for holding terms of the United States district court. This fact, coupled with the other fact that our postal service demands a larger building, gives encouragement to the hope that in the near future Congress will see fit to make an appropriation for a government building here. Next to Omaha and Lincoln, Hastings has the largest mail transfer and returns the largest postal revenue of any city in the State. The need for the building is apparent, and it is only a question of a short time when the appropriation will be made by Congress.

OPERA HOUSE.

     But two cities, Omaha and Lincoln, have larger opera houses than the one in this city. The lots, building, and furnishings cost over $85,000, and are complete in every particular. The seating capacity is 1431, and the latest improved opera chairs, stage fixtures, and machinery are used. The best troupes crossing the continent make a stop at Hastings.

FIRE DEPARTMENT.

     With hydrants at convenient corners and within short distances apart, distributed all over the city; a continuous pressure sufficient to throw a stream over a six-story building; a hook and ladder truck; a hose carriage, with the best and best-trained horses west of Chicago; and a well-trained and well-paid fire department. we have no serious conflagrations. Our fire department and fire-extinguishing appliances are the pride of the city, and the envy of our neighboring cities.

POLICE FORCE.,

     Generally orderly and quiet, there would be but little need for a paid police force, were it not for the itinerant sneak thieves who are pest to all the towns and cities of the Union. They rarely commit a depredation here and get away with the boodle.

STREET CARS.

     In the city are fifteen miles of street railroads, with horse car service. Negotiations are now pending for a substitution of electric motor cars and a material extension of the lines.

PAVED STREETS.

     Not until recently has there been any need for paved streets. but an increased street traffic and the high buildings which line our business thoroughfares, shutting out the sun's rays, have made paving a necessity. Work upon this needed improvement will be commenced at once. Homemade vitrified brick will be used.
     Hastings has fifteen miles of sewer mains and laterals, and owns an eighty-acre sewer farm three miles from the city, where the sewerage is disposed of.

RAILROADS.

     But few cities east or west are so well supplied with railroads and railroad facilities as Hastings. Four of the great trunk lines of the West enter this city. They are the Burlington & Missouri River, the Union Pacific, Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley (Chicago & Northwestern), and Missouri Pacific. The Burlington & Missouri River Road is a continuation of the C., B. & Q. Road from Chicago to Denver. Entering this city from the east it makes Hastings a division station, and from here it diverges, with one branch to Kearney, where it connects with the Union Pacific and the Kearney & Black Hills Roads. The main line runs through to Denver. One line runs to Red Cloud where it connects with the Kansas City & Denver line, and another branch runs south-west into western Kansas. Still another line runs northeast to Aurora, where it changes direction and goes north and west into Dakota and the Black Hills country. The St. Joe & Grand Island branch of the Union Pacific runs north to Grand Island, where it makes close connections both ways, upon the main line of the parent road. Going southeast from Hastings it runs to St. Joseph, Missouri, where it connects with roads running south and east. The Missouri Pacific comes here from the southeast and gives us close connection with Kansas City, St Louis and the gulf, or through the Missouri Pacific system and the Santa Fe, with all points east. The Northwestern is a through line to Chicago, and gives us close and convenient connections with all important northern and eastern roads.
     With these eleven diverging railroads, Hastings has the advantage afforded by forty-two passenger and seventy-five freight trains per day. These railroads bring in twenty-three mails per day. We are but a stone's throw from surrounding cities--Omaha and Lincoln. Morning papers arrive here at 7:35 A. M. Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver papers are delivered here the next morning after their issue. By these seventy-five freight trains, orders to wholesale houses are filled and distributed over a vast area of country. With these railroad systems come more than two hundred railroad men, who make Hastings their home and headquarters.
          Besides the roads above enumerated we have the Santa Fe system within forty miles of us, and the Rock Island only thirty-seven miles away. Both these roads are headed for the northwest, and Hastings not only lies in their direct path, but is much the largest city within their reach. The assurance has been given that when they extend their lines Hastings will be asked to make room for their depot grounds and sidetracks. In the contemplated extension of the Missouri Pacific to the Black Hills country is also contemplated a line from the Lincoln branch to make direct connection with the main line at this point.