St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-26
The Variations Of the Great
Fortunes Coined From Min
neapolis Real Estate.
A Carefully Compiled Com
parison Of Values Then and
Now Of Noted Prices.
From One Hundred to Seven
Hundred Per Cent Made in
a Few Years,
And Often From the Very Fact
That Holders We're Unable
to Find Buyers.

The GLOBE ventures the assertion
that there is not per cent of our POO, 900
population that can comprehend or
fully appreciate the almost miraculous
changes of real estate values which
have occurred in Minneapolis within
the past eight years. Even those who
have watched the city'S growth with
Jealous care, express Their amaZement
at the result. and in their leisure mo-
mentS their minds often revert back
DER the leaves of the past, while they
philosOphically say with the poet Long
fellow:
Trust no Future, however pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its deadr'
And yet there has not been a single
Investment made in Minneapolis realty
since 1880 which has not paid the in
weston from 100 to 1000 per cent profit.
Fortunes have been made by thousands
who have been actuated by faith
in the future, and in numerous
instances others have become
wealthy through their own mac
tivity and Incidence, one might say, for
it has not been through any wise or
farSeeing foresight they possess them
selves but simply chain of fortunate
circumstances that surrounded them.
Why, there are very few instances
where parties possessed property within
five minutes ride Of the city hall, who,
less than ten years ago, were hardly
able to supply their families with the
necessary staff of life, and who vainly
endeavored to sell their realty to pay
their annual taxes, but being unable to
do so, were drawn into the maelStrOm
of the city'S rapid development and
forced to become endowed with wealth
they knew not what to do with. Again,
there were many others who held their
property for several years, waiting, like
Micawber, ''for something to turn up, :"
but becoming tired Of paying taxes,
were anxious to sell to any responsible
party who would pay the taxes and 6
per cent annual interest upon Speci-
fed valuation. Even this extraordinary
proposition failed to entice but few, who
subsequently concluded that there were
several grains of truth in the old adage,
THAT It's better to be born lucky than
rich" 1t is furthermore self
evident truth that but small
proportion of our old residents are mum.
hered among the wealthy ones of Min
neapoliS, from the fact that they would
sit and grOwl and Snarl and prOphesy
all sorts of evils that were catalogued,
instead OF recognizing the daWning of a
new era throughout the entire North
west. About 1879 and 80 a new ele-
ment, composed of younger, more pro-
greSsiVe and confident class made it's
appearance and at once caught on" as
it WERE to the situation, and the ante
diluvianS were gradually crushed be-
meath the wheels of progress and enter
prise that have characterized the Flour
City ever since.
In publishing the following COMPARE
sons. the GLOBE has made them au-
thentic by deriving the information
from those whose names are prefixed to
the various lists, and the figures pre-
scented are not indicative of any boom,
for Minneapolis property has as yet
never enjoyed that distinction, but
the advance in values has been
upon solid basis of cause and
effect, and the more rapid the
development of the Northwest the more
substantial becomes the interests of
Minneapolis. The possibilities of the
future for realizing large profits from
real estate investments may not be as
great as in the past, yet the top notch
has by no means been reached in the
business and fine residence localities.