Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-10-05
BISMARCK, d. T., Sept, 25, 1883.

BisAABcK, ID. T., sept, 70, 1888.
A town without either history or prestige
yesterday becomes n metropolis to-day by
means of the boz IN. or course there is a vast
amount uf prodiRious lying III this bonming bus
iness, but what other mission has the real estate
| speculation? AS one travels westward he en-.
counters moro and more nf these intelligent,
able bodied liars, whose Mbnis in behalf Of
| this, that and the other rising tnwn indnce its
| speedy settlement and at once secure its pros
peIity. II matters little as 10 the particular
| advantages place may possess, either in the
| matter of location or quality of soil, or mill
facilities. or anything else, SO long ns II has a
good bonmer--a man with horn and u capaci-
| ~ Tor blowing II. He is the first stage OF tie
growth Of the town, and the second and last.
lie lies elegantly about the attractions Of the
place which after all consists chiefly in the
inducements held out for speculation.
| This IL the sort of thing that has been done
| for many of these widely advertised new towns
In this New West" of which, perh 'ps, Bis
marck is AN example. But here, aud elsewhere,
il has been more or less successful, aud has at
tracled people and capital and caused rapid
growth and development. Real estate specula-
tiOn Is the chief industry. Town plats are
marked of on some barren spot aud in few
weeks lots are sold at fabulous prices by means
| OF the booming process. AS an auxiliary, a
few hundred dollars are invested in type and
presses, and newspaper Is started for circula
| ton chiefly through the Eastern States. Il Is
one OF the wonders of the frGntier how so many
small towns support newspaper some u
duilyi all weekly. The Eastern town or
| city with population OF $4,000 Gnds hard
work 10 support daily, but the Western town
VI 500 inhabitants that doesn't have its daily
| Ia pour indeed. Generally the editor relies TO a
great extent upon some Huside sOurce-an office
| or fat take OF some kind-for his share of jerked
buffalo; but at any rate the newspaper Is sus-
tanned at all hazards. The absolute success
| that ever follows the skilled booming OF tow q
is shown by the fabulous prices that town lots
bring in soma Of these growing villages. With
agricultural land only ten or twenty miles dis
tant easily obtainable for So per acre, here we
find IL readily sold at from $50, 900 10 s25 900
per acre, aud with no great promise Of a me-
lropotan future at that Corner lots In VIM
| Depeg or jamestown, or Fargo, or Bismarck,
are simply q fortune In tbemselve, because az
business marts these towns have received the
full benefits Of years Of the best OF booming and
have atti acted that class Of settlers whose en-
ergy aud enterprise and pluck constitute a
| perpetual boom.
Here s Territory that covers l51 900 square
miles, or more than two-dllhs greater In area
| than GreAi Britain. fye-sixths of which il ca
pable Of profitable occupation aud at least four
fiths susceptible OF the highest state OF arabic
cultivation. The mountains are few indeed,
aud there are neither absolute wastes, impene-
trable swamps or botiomless slougbs, such as
are found 10 adjoining State and Territories. II