Logan–Now and What It Will Be When Its Destiny Is Fulfilled

by G.T. Swain

Situated here among the “Hills of West Virginia” on the banks of the beautiful Guyan lies the little city of Logan–our home. Time was when a few years ago Logan was a struggling little village trying to pull herself out of the mud and how well she succeeded is left to you, gentle reader, to judge. We now have nicely paved streets, solid and substantial sidewalks, large and commodious business buildings and beautiful homes. Lots that were formerly occupied with frame buildings have been raised and have given way for substantial brick and stone buildings and more going up as fast as can be built with more to come in the future. Our people are liberal, energetic and hospitable and a glad hand and hearty welcome is extended to all newcomers, while the passing stranger is always welcome within our gates. Logan is situated in the very heart of the famous Guyan Valley coalfields and is surrounded with the natural advantages to become sometime in the near future a second Pittsburg. With branch roads leading in every direction, reaching a large number of mines from which pour forth every day an enormous of the famous “Black Diamond” which afford employment to a large army of laborers and positions for many more, with different kinds of business houses in the city requiring the services of a large number of skilled laborers we find our little city progressive in the fullest sense of the word and what Logan is at the present time will be nothing in comparison of the city in the near future. At the present time we boast of three wholesale houses, a great many department stores to supply your every want, and many handsome churches to look after your spiritual  needs, a large number of efficient lawyers to look after your legal affairs, quite a few experienced physicians and surgeons to attend your physical ailments and a large, commodious high school building and a large public school building to look after the education of your children and while we admit that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” we have for your amusement two elegant and comfortable moving picture theatres at which you view the best pictures obtainable while we extend you an invitation to visit our park where you will be entertained with athletic sports. We take time during the strenuous hustle and activity to eat occasionally and we invite you to patronize our large and first class hotels, restaurants and boarding houses where you will be furnished the best food the market affords. If you have any surplus change that is too heavy to carry around in your pocket we have, for your convenience, two large and perfectly safe banks who will gladly receive your deposit or extend any other accommodation consistent with good sound banking.

Take a little time and sit down and rest while we furnish you with the Daily Courier and permit you to digest the very latest news fresh over the wires of the Associated Press. In fact call on us for any favor and we will do our utmost to supply your every need and should you unfortunately get in the way of any of our numerous “jitney buses” we will tenderly convey you to our new, fine hospital, just completed at a cost of $40,000 where your injuries will be treated while you wait.

Logan–Ten Years Hence–Or A Peep Into The Future

My–but can this be Logan? We stand in the cupola of the magnificent stone Court house and gaze up Island creek and as far as the eye can see we see numerous buildings of all description and we are told that they too extend up Main Island creek. We turn and gaze up Dingess Run and we find the same, while we are informed that all the way up the Guyan the buildings are too numerous to count. We look toward Huntington and find that the town has extended down the river while all the vacant lots that formerly specked the town are all now covered with handsome and elegant homes. On every hand we find new coal operations and the hum of the machinery dulls the sound of the hustle and bustle of the street traffic below. Wires leading from the large and power electric station situated on the banks of the river cover the county like giant cobwebs, carrying to various points the giant current for lighting and operating purposes. Coal trains loaded to doubled track road of the C. & O. capacity are moving West while empty cars are coming East. Electric cars are passing and branching off up into the hollows transporting their load of passengers and freight to all the operations while those that desire are accommodated by motor vehicles over the fine macadamized roads leading in all directions but in the end pointing the way back to Logan, the hub of all this activity. We look down to where the C. & O. formerly had a coop called a station and we find a large magnificent passenger station in keeping with the balance of the town. We hear that the former little ramshackle affair called the water system has given way to the march of progress and we learn that a short distance back in the mountain Logan has an enormous storage dam from which her people are supplied with water from the pure mountain streams and the water pressure is sufficient for all purposes. We look below and we find the streets patrolled by uniform police. We see the Logan Band pass by playing a patriotic air. The “newsies” are crying aloud the latest news that has been flashed over the wires and published in an extra edition of the Daily Courier. The mail is being delivered to the doors of all citizens by uniformed carriers at the expense of Uncle Sam. Many of the large number of visitors to the city are taking the cars of the incline railway for a trip to the beautiful fraternal home that crowns the crest of the reservoir mountain, while listen–down the street at full speed comes the organized fire department in charge of the very latest fire fighting apparatus. Surely this is the “Miracle Land.”

‘Tis said that Holden and Omar are only suburbs while Craneco is clamoring for annexation.

–What? Yes–why–sure climbing to the cupola of the Court house and enjoying the balmy breeze of pure mountain air, shaded from the rays of the noon-day sun I fell asleep and being espied by the janitor who being afraid my presence would molest the workings of the town clock has climbed up here and shaking me from my pleasant day-dream has invited me to plant my cute little “tootsies” on terra firma. Some dream. Believe me.

Source: Logan (WV) Democrat, 22 June 1916.