The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-25
HOME IN TEXAS.
Agents for Marion and McPher-
son MennOniteS
Have Located Their Chosen
Colony in Texas.
HAVE 4,673 ACRES.
Will Leave Kansas This Month
and Next.
HAVE
Will Buy More Land in Calves
ton Vicinity.

Marion, Aug. 25-John Dake of Hills
boro and John P. klassan of Canton
have just returned from Texas, where
they have been to select land for the
Mennonite colonies of Marion and Nc
Pherson counties.
The two representatives of that thrift
ty people are very Intelligent Germans
who have Travelled around the country
considerably and have studied farming
and farm lands from a scientific stand
point
They have bought a large tract of
land in Fort Bend county and are ne
gotiating for the purchase of several
other large pieces of farm lands in the
coast country between Galveston and
Houston.
From them it was learned that this
is the fourth trip of the delegates, who
are part of the committee of five Sc
Iected some time ago to locate new sec
tiOnS for settlement, where the Men
noniteS could locate and grow rich
with the country.
They have bought 4,673 acres of land
In Fort Bend county, near Rosenberg.
The property has been plated and di-
V1ded into parcels or farms ranging
from 100 to several hundred acres each.
About Is brethren have made their Sc
lections of the new lands, and on the
blue prints each one has his tract
marked and preserved. Nearly all of
the league, which includes over 200
acres more than the prescribed league
measurement, has been sold to different
members of the Kansas colonies in
blocks ranging all the way from 100
acres to over 500 acres each.
We are not attempting to depopu-
late Kansas nor have we any grievance
Dake.
I'VE have all prospered and thrived,
as our people always do in all localities
and all sections where they have set
tied. We came to Kansas when land
was cheap and settled on many hun
dreds of acres of land. which we bought
for $3.50 to 81 an acre. We planted,
toiled and Iabored, and reaped our re-
ward Today the land is easily worth
$40 an acre, and even higher.
You see, we old men got a good
start-cheap lands-and have made
them rich in producing qualities, and
have greatly enhanced the value of
property throughout the whole section
occupied by the Mennonites. We have
all raised large families, young sons
who now able to care for them
selves, and we want to give them a
start We were delegates to Texas to
study the soil, the climate, the crops
and everything pertaining to topo-
graphy, geography, etc, of that section
of the country.
''On our fourth visit we decided upon
the league in Fort Bend county as a
choice piece of property and closed the
deal This is not all We have under
consideration other lands in the coast
region not far from Galveston. which
we will decide upon definitely soon
Our brethren will commence NOV
ing to Texas within a month, and we
will do some fall planting in our new
settlement. In the spring many more
families will follow, and Texas may
have several colonies of our people be-
fore another year.
THE dry winds and unsettled wealth.
er in Kansas are a constant source of
worrimenI and frequently of great loss
Sir1
this year and is really no crop at all
The wheat crop is very good"