The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-09-21
MADEASMALL FORTUNE
HOW TWO SCHOOL TEACHERS
DID 1T.
Two Hundred Dollars Grows tn Twelve
Thousand within q Year.
Marion Indiana Chropicle1

Marion. Indiana. Chronicle.l
There are two sisters teaching in the
Marion public schools who have reason
TO thank the rapid development OF one
OF Chicago's manufacturing suburbs for
a small fortune which has grown from
very tiny seed planted less than a
year ago. To a representative of the
Chronicle these young ladies told the
story OF their remarkable investment as
follows:
AT the close of our school work
year ago we found that We had saved
about 500 each, for which we had no
immediate use. We were spending our
vacation in Chicago, and stepped into
the Chamber OF Commerce Building to
see jay Dwiggins d Co., whom we had
long known. They were just then
founding the new town OF Griffith,
whose fuel oil pipe lines and four great
railroads, including a complete belt
line encircling Chicago, gave great
promise OF making this factory
center.
we were inclined to make an invest
ment in the new town and consented to
join them in the purchase of a five acre
block which they wished to subdivide
with some other tracts and put inn
mediately on the market. Our $500 SUI
feed to make the cash paymentf I one
third interest in this i've acres and we
expected to meet the deferred payments
from our wages the following year.
After making this investment we
went further on our vacation trip, and
what was our surprise few weeks
later TO receive word that the five acres
had been bought, subdivided, and COM
pletely sold out. Three parties had
taken the entire block at profit of al
most $4,000, one-third Of which we
learned was at our disposal.
so far we had not even seen Griffith,
but this remarkably quick turn of al
fairs gave us great interest in the new
town, and we went Immediately TO look
1t over. We found, nine miles south
east Of Chicago limits, a remarkable
railroad junction, but little more than
that. There were perhaps a dozen
houses scattered about in the oak
groves and occupied by railroad en-
ployes. There were no stores, no streets,
no sidewalks, no nothing-except
bright future. The surveyors were just
putting down the lot stakes. We found
our block in the very center of the town
plat, with frontage on what promised
TO be the best business street. The lots
had been sold out at the ridiculously
low average of $3.50 each.
we remarked that we would rather
buy than sell at these figure. This
quick sale, even at a low price, had
given us the capital with which to buy.
We Immediately selected Block IL in
the Original Town of Griffith, and
bought it with the profits we had
just made. We left Griffith, saying:
We'll, we shall see what year will
bring forth in this promising place.
We have just now returned from
Griffith after a years absence. We
found four factories completed and
many more negotiating to come.
Houses are going up on every hand,
and streets which had not been cut out
when we were there year ago, are
now lined with prosperous stores. Our
block, if sold at present prices, would
realize about ST., 900, but we would not
take S25, 600 for it. If it were similarly
located in Marion, it would bring $780,
600.
ave have seen Marion grow up from
a country town into fourishing young
city, by the location of factories, and
Marion has but three railroads and has
not the great city of Chicago to tie to.
I'VE confidently expect within the
next five years to see Griffith great
and flourishing city, and that will be
time enough to realize on our beauti-
full block OF lots. Since we bought our
relatives have made further purchases
and have made money, too. We GER
tainly believe that Griffith lots bought
at present prices and on the very easy
terms at which they can be had will
prove quickly paying investment.