New-York daily tribune., 1859-05-25
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REAL ESTATE IN kANSAS.


The weninformed Kansas correspondent of TIE
Boston Journal says:
1.-THE rapidity with which real estate sometimes
advances in the West almost incredible. An
old and reliable business man, native of Massachu
setis, recently said to me: Thirteen years ago sod
tract of land in ST. Louis for fifteen hundred dollars
IL has sin 20 become business center and to-day II
could not be bought for four hundred thousand :
Changes almost as rapid have occurred in Kansas. A
gentleman living in this county, who if still less than
thirty years old here in 1884 with seven Thousand
dollars. The property the Territory which he has
accumulated from this nucleus is now worth about two
hundred thousand. Property in Leavenworth, which
sold in 1853 for three four hundred dollars, now
readily commands from ten TO fifteen thousand There,
in ST. Joseph, Kansas City, Lawrence, and few other
prominent points, many persons have become wealthy
not from any superior sagacity but SIMPLY because
they couldn't help it, after having invested little
money during the early history OF the Territory. la
the Fall of 1885, Ohio gentleman purchased large
tract Of land adjoining LeavenwoHh, at the then
enormous price Of hundred dollars per acre. Cau-
tous people said he was nsane but in about six months
he divided it into small building lots, and sold much OF
il at an advance of one thousand per cent.
But there il also another eide to the picture La
the Spring and early Summer OF %, the people of
Kansas were all crazy about town speeulations. In
June of that year. town shares sold tor cash. for
double and treble the they mad cost from TO
six weeks previous. 4 share of eight or ten lots ln
almost any interior paper town would then sell readily
for $iG0 in gold Within hundred miles, on the Mis-
and shares in them commanded from $3oO 10 - ,SOO
In one of them which had less than 500 inhabitants
and an utterly inpractlcsble sile single lot, - feet
by l50 sold for JOO. great deal of Eastern cap
ita sent Ia Kansas for Investment was sunk N these
enbryUtc cities. At least twothris of them ar now
hopeessy dead; and land which then sold at the rate
of $500 per acre would not now bring $40. passed
one Of these cities few days since. A year ago
lots sold there for so, and eighty houses were erected
Now the properly has absolutely no market value;
only three OF the houses occupied, and many OF
them are selling $40 and $50 each to tear down aud
remove to some live town. A good many people have
learned to their cost, that geitng rich by wild and in
discriminate speculation ia not quite easy az rolling
off log and that flush tunes DO not last forever
Sill. nearly all citizens of prudence al energy, have
done wei, =. ,uniarliy, in Kansas.
Many inproy Cments gong on 10 the country,
and the farmers show substantial evidence ol prosper
iiy. Those who able to resist the strong tcnpta-
ton Of their class in this rich region where earth Is so
rich that Just tickle her with hoe. and she laughs
with harvest the tendency to grow lszy-sTe
rapidly becoming rich.
- KaDsas City aud other river towns now abound in
the swarhy faces Of Mexican drivers Gre iaers, e.
the Plains call thenwho here 20 take out the
Spring stocks Of goods for the merchants OF Santa Fe
and Arizona. Every morning they exhibit singular
spectacle they take their long teams Of mules 10 the
river for water the bride # each animal tied 20 the
tail of the one before him, aud dusky, thievishlook
ing Mexican riding the leader 10 AtchisOn, a few
DAYS since, two desperate characters were summary
taken by the citizens. placed in lesky ski, with only
board TO guide il, pushed out into the rver,
leisure. At Convention recently called in the
town TO organize the Democratic party u the county,
only i've persons, al told were present. and the meet
in % tzzled."