The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-10
An Abandoned Boom Town
Named ClevedOn
is NOW INHABITED
By 800 Unemployed Men and
Wandering Willies.
Next Month There Is to Be a
Regular Election.

ana IS one OF the queer thing that our
modern Industrial conditions produce.
Ten miles from here is about the oldest
town in the country. 1t has 300 inhabit-
ants, every one of them a knight of the
road, otherwise a plain, ordinary tramp.
1t is a village of tramps. 1t is also some
thing of a Utopia. No one pays any rent;
no one works; everybody loafs; all are
fat. and happy and lazy. There may not
be $40 in the whole town, and what is
more, there is no reason for the possess
sion of money. There is nothing to buy
and nothing to sell Vulgar commerce
never disturbs the peace of the commun-
ity. The houses are new, the streets are
broad. Nearby are the deep waters of
lake Superior. and ten miles inland is the
railroad running between Ashland and
Superior. The railroad is handy when
any member of the community decides
upon taking little tour, and the lake is
convenient because of the fish it fur
nishes. Within a radius of half dozen
miles are enough farms to supply the viii
lage with pilfered produce.
These farmers and the few people who
know of the existence of the place call 1t
Trampville. The railroad men who have
heard of it describe it as Hobohurst-by-
the-Lake. The residents, however, adj
here to its official title, Clevedon.
Back in 1880 a syndicate of English
capitalists conceived the idea that a town
could be established at the mouth of the
Boise BruIe river which in time would
compete with the city of Superior and at
tract much of the lake traffic. The syn
dictate invaded Douglas county, which is
at the northwestern extremity of the
Badger state. and purchased immense
blocks of virgin land. Today Douglas
county is very sparsely settled, in fact it
has only half dozen villages and towns
altogether, and seventeen years ago the
population was considerably smaller than
now. The wild timber land was pur-
chased for next to nothing. and arrange
ments were at once made to carry out the
big project in view.
Where Brule river flows into lake Su-
perior the land was cleared and a town
site mapped out. Mechanics and builders
of all kinds We're employed with lavish
hand and houses and buildings grew up
almost in a night. Such quantities of
money were poured into the scheme that
Clevedon soon attracted attention from
the outside world, and numerous families
came to the place, bought lots and put
up homes.
Inside of the year Clevedon had popu-
latiOn of about LOO people, and for a
time it seemed destined to become the
great town that the syndicate had plan
ned. A big frame hotel was erected, good
streets were laid out and the we'll built
and brightly painted little cottages gave
the place an air of busting prosperity.
But the tide of lake commerce refused
to sweep upon CIevedon. 1t kept on
moving toward Duluth and Superior, just
a it had before the advent of the new
city. and the exertions of the syndicate
managers were impotent to change it.
Then the population began to fade away.
Cottage after cottage was deserted, and
the next calamity was the collapse of the
fund behind the syndicate.
Some of those who had bought land and
erected houses remained with the hope
that something would turn up to rehabili-
tate the fading fortune of the place. But
as far as prosperity was concerned a
blight seemed to be on Clevedon. Two or
three times the syndicate secured addi-
tional backing and made powerful efforts
to revive interest in the place. but the
energy and money were wasted. Cleve-
don could not be resuscitated.
BY 1890 it was as dead as any place
could be. Every one had left. The neat
little houses We're empty, the big hotel
took a ghostly look. Grass grew up in
the well-laid streets. It was as silent as
the pine forests surrounding it. No one
ever went that way. 1t is many miles off
the general line of travel. hidden in thick
WOODS on al SUES except WHERE II 1aCGS
the waters of the lake.
Three years ago some Wandering Willie |
discovered it. How he came to be in
such a lonesome region is mystery. Per-
haps years ago. he was one of those who |
had put his money and faith in the COM
ing prosperity and had turned to take
another look at the theater of his wreck |
ed hopes.
At any rate. other hoboes soon after be-
70 b,,+
never remained for any length of time |
Not more than half a dozen ever met in |
Clevedon at the same time, and the op-
pressive silence too much for the /
sightseeing brotherhood. All the time |
however. other tramps learned of the ex-
istence of the place. and new faces ap-
peared.
Last fall full score met at Clevedon. |
Some of them were not natural or vol |
untary tramps They were products of |
the hard times. These saw the place |
sized up the comfortable houses and the |
big hotel, and determined to spend the !
winter there When others came along |
they were invited to join the permanent |
colony, and many did so. With the pros !
pect of an abundance of agreeable society
the complexion of affairs changed. and |
early visitors who could not endure more |
than two or three days in the place were |
glad to join the new community
The peculiar part of the whole thing is |
that many of the tramps have decided |
to make Clevedon their regular home. and /
will stay there during the summer Some |
turbulent spirits have evidently entered /
the colony, as there has been rumors of /
internecine strife, and there is going to
be regular election in the place on the |