Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-09-29
MADE A FORTUNE.
HOW TWO SCHOOL TEACHERS
DID 1T.
Two Hundred Dollars Grows to Twelve
Thousand within a Year.

There are two sisters teaching in the
Marion public schools who have reason
to thank the rapid developments of ono
OF Chicago's manufacturing suburbs
for small fortune which has grown
from very tiny seed planted less than
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 a
year ago, we found that we had saved
about 500 -uch 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 M. Dwiggins g. Co. whom we
had long known. They were just then
founding the new town of Griffith
whose fuel-oil-pipe-lincs and four
great railroads including complete
belt line encircling Chicago gave
great promise of making this factory
center"
We were inclined to make an in
Vestment in the new town and con-
scented to join them in the purchase of.
a five acre block which they wished to
subdivide with some other tracts and
put immediately on the market Our
900 sufficed to make their cash pay,
ment for one-third interest in this five
acres and we expected to meet the de-
ferred 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
almost $4,000, one-third of which we
learned was at our disposal"
80 far we had not even seen Griffith
but this remarkably quick turn of af-
fairs gave us great interest in the
new town and we went Immediately
to look it over. We found nine miles
southeast of Chicago limits remark,
able railroad junction and but little
more than that. There were perhaps
n dozen houses scattered about in the
6ak groves and occupied by railroad
employees. There We're no stores, no
streets, no sidewalks, no nothing-ex-t
cept p 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 $50
each" !
1--WE remarked that we would rather
buy than sell at these figures. This
given us the capital with which to buy..
We Immediately selected block ii in.
the original town of Griffith and
bought it with the profits we had just;
made. We left Griffith saying, ''Well,
we shall see what year will bring
forth in this promising place"
eve have just now returned from
Griffith after 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 S12, 600, but we would not
take S25, 900 for it. If it were similarly
located in Marion, it would bring
$50, OO0,"
I'VE have seen Marion grow up from
country town into a hourishing young
city by the location of factories and
Marion has but three railroads and has
not the great city of Chicago to tie to-"
ave confidently expect within the
next five years to see Griffith great
hourishing city and that will be time
enough to realize on our beautiful
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. -
Marion Qnd.) Daily Chronicle.