Wenatchee Investors Discover Oroville’s Potential
A party of influential Wenatchee businessmen visit Oroville, dismissing rumors of a 'swamp-ridden' town and purchasing local property.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Friday last, a party consisting of A. Z. Wells, Geo. J. Miller and Mr. Lindville, of Wenatchee, arrived in Oroville in Mr. Wells' automobile. They were out on an excursion for the purpose of testing the machine and seeing the country. They came by way of Conconully and Loomis, a trying road, and their success was proof the machine was reliable. These men, prominent residents of Wenatchee, held unfavorable impressions of Oroville based on outside reports that the town was located in a narrow gap surrounded by swamps with limited land for cultivation. They were pleasantly surprised at the charming location and the vast extent of available orchard land. Mr. Wells, senior member of Wells & Morris, was so impressed he purchased three business lots on Main Street, and Mr. Miller expects to invest as well. They expressed the opinion that Oroville could become as important a city as Wenatchee.
“They were most agreeably surprised at the charming location of the town and the wonderful possibilities of the country tributary thereto.”
This 1909 account captures the classic 'boom-town' cycle where regional capital sought new frontiers for investment. Today, Oroville continues to leverage its natural assets and agricultural potential to attract outside investment, much as it did a century ago.
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