Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-01-07

|
citizens to come to Wisconsin to take
UP their home. This has been done
largely through advertising in news
papers. Auxiliary immigration
boards were appointed in thirty-nine
counties of the state. Of these coun-
ties thirteen appropriated from s100 tC
5000 to assist their boards, nine have
issued books setting forth the advan-
tages of their lands to home seekers
and several have employed agents to
interest emigrants.
The board would recommend that
the next Legislature should enact a
! law which will continue the work
begun. A large amount of advertis-
ing has Deen done which will bear
fruit in the future. The board is in
: receipt daily of numerous letters of in
/ quirJ WI ich will continue to come for
the next year at least, as the books
are constantly falling into new hands.
/ If these inquiries go unanswered inter-
i est in northern Wisconsin will soon
| die out and even the local interest will
not be retained or improved as it must
be in order to make even the results
of what work the board has done what
= they should be. The thousands upon
: thousands of acres of land within
! Wisconsin which would make good
homes for people whose condition viii
be bettered by occupying them should
be an incentive for the state to follow
some line of work which will aid in
| bringing about settlement of these
sections.
The question of the amount of
money to be expended by board ell
gagged in this work settles largely its
line of work. 1t is the judgment Of
the board that a continuance of the
advertising will ultimately bring
about the end desired. 1t has already
brought thousands of Investigations
OF the state and hundreds of farm ars
TO single counties. 1t has stirred a
feeling of local pride and awak aned
interest in localities whose future de-
ponds solely upon the settlement of
the counties.
The board has now on hand tnir-
teen thousand copies CT Professor
Henry's Two hundred page books;
seIe en- thousand copies of the German
pamphlet, four thousand copies of the
Norwegian pamphlet and Two thou
sane five hundred copies of the Eng
fish pamphlet"
/ Soon after the board was organ
4 lied" says the report, 1.-THE governor
and secretary visited several eastern
cities for the purpose of bringing be-
fore the people of that section the ad-
vantages which this state had to of
fer, and also to interest, if possible,
some immigration agencies of Europe
in the work of guiding suitable class
of people this way. Each daily paper
in New York city, and, through the
/ press associations, all daily papers Of
the country, published a statement of
/ the opportunities and advantages for
agriculturalists in the newer part of
! Wisconsin. These articles have
! brought inquiries from every state in
! the union and Investigations from a
! large number. Extended articles set
ting forth the home seekers oppor-
tunity here have appeared as news
matter in a large number of agricul-
| tural papers of the country and the
responses from this line have been
many. There has been no money
expended by the board for newspaper
advertising with the exception of one
bill of S43.
aside from the advertising feature
Of the eastern trip of the governor
and secretary, some of the people en-
gagged in the colonization and immi-
grafton work decided to make an in
Vestigation OF the state and it's OPP
portunities. An inspection of ten
northern counties was made by two
experts from Germany who were sent
here by a steamship company inter
ested in the immigration traffic
Their report was that the northern
part of Wisconsin offered advantages
superior to many of the prairie states
and their conclusion was that Wiscon-
sin furnished better inducement for
the Industrious foreigner who was
looking for cheap land, a good market
and a permanent home.
ga large number of letters have
been received from ministers
and a dozen or more personal investi-
cations have been made by them
These investigations have proven sat
isfactory in most cases, and trial
colony of Dunkards will be located IN
the northeastern part Of the state next
spring.
THE inquiries which have come tC
the board show that from the thickly
populated portions of our own state
and those adjoining there is ample op-
portunity to secure thousands of set
tiers for the newer counties. Over
nine thousand letters have been re-
ceived asking for books or informa-
ton, and from southern Wisconsin
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota
come the greater portion. Pennsyl-
vania furnishes the next largest num-
Der of inquiries, while New York, Ne
braska and Canada give several hun
dFed each. Every state in the union
has sent inquiries. The percentage Of
the personal investigation which fol
lows the reading of advertising mat
ter has been difficult to determine be,
cause of the lack Of information in al
cases except where the parties see fl
to notify the board that they have OF
will go to the state, but of the cases
in which this investigation has beer
made, the people of southern Wiscon.
mis-, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana seem
most DESTROYS of investigating.
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