City keeps steady pace with county's growth.

              CITY KEEPS STEADY PACE WITH COUNTY’S GROWTH
Fergus County Democrat December 15, 1908
Lewistown has always “pointed with pride” to the fact that she has never had to undergo the harrowing experience of recovering from a boom. Her citizens and business men would “view with alarm” any tendency to push the town ahead faster than the surrounding territory is being developed and they would view with the same sort of alarm any failure on the part of the city to keep steady pace with the rapid growth of Fergus county.
Best Year of Her History. The year 1908 has been, beyond all doubts, the best year in the history of Lewistown. It has seen more substantial buildings erected, more improvements in construction of sewers, bridges and other public requirements, a greater awakening of that civic spirit which shall not rest but shall be ever up and doing something for the good of the cause.
More men have been employed at better wages that ever before and there have been fewer excuses for grinding poverty than at any other period in the city’s brief history.
Great Year for Building. In the matter of erection of buildings, which is the surest index to the growth of any town, 1908 has been Lewistown’s banner year. It is doubtful if any other city in the state, large or small, has made a better record in this respect than the Queen City of the Inland Empire during the twelve months now drawing to a glorious finish.
The total cost of the residences and business buildings completed or practically finished in the city during the present year is $421,300. This is not an estimate but the actual figures given the Democrat by the various contractors.
While $374,100.00 of this amount represents the amount expended for business and public buildings, the fact that $47,200.00 was put into residential properties is a most encouraging indication. It shows that Lewistown is becoming a city of homes and of good, substantial homes at that.
All told there were twenty-five residences erected in Lewistown during the year. They averaged close to $2,000.00 each in cost and the larger percentage of them contain all modern conveniences such as furnace heating plants, baths, sewerage connection and city water. They are located in all parts of the city showing that the city is built out in all directions.