The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-02-01
Increasing value Of Missouri Slope
Lands.

Lands.
Land in the western part Of
North Dakota is being taken rap
Idly, Several large land compa-
MES have bought up large tracts
of the railroad land that Is avail
able for farming and stock raising,
and a proposition is now before
the directors of the Northern Pa
ci6c4 for the purchase of the re-
manning vacant land in Stark and
He.tinger counties. west Of the
river. If this deal goes through it
will remove from railroad owner
ship nearly all Of the desirable
land west Of the river, and put it
into private hands.
In the past year or SO several
large land companies have bought
hundreds of thousands of acres Of
Northern Pacific lands and put
the land on the market, for sale to
actual settlers. Notable among
the big buyers has been the Hack
ney- Boynton and company which
now ownes all the railroad lands
east of the Missouri river. This
land lies in Burleigh, Emmons,
Kidder, Logan, Mcintosh and
other counties, and thousands of
acres Of it have passed to private
ownership and into the hands Of
small farmers and stock %raisers.
The company is busily engaged
selling its land having agents
through this state and in Iowa,
Minnesota and other states. Its
transactions tia comingyear prom
Use to be among the largest in the
history of land sales in the stt.te.
The A. D.. Clark land company.
heade l by A. D. Clark of Algona,
Iowa, six months ago bought 400,-
900 acres Of railroad land west of
the river. This land was bought
at low figure an half Of it has
been sold. The company still has
2 $1,000 acres Of lansl to sell, and
upon the amount already sold a
large profit has been made. Mr..
C'ark was in Bismarck the pas!
week. and is looking over his land:
He is an oil iowa man, who YVES
upon la ground apor, with land
purchases thrn ant saw in tht.
good farming lands of North Da-
kota ali opportunity to repeat his
Iowa experiences.
In addition to the large pur-
chasas that have been made y
these companies. there is the pur-
tciasn Of G,neral ". D. Washburn
Of IL 600 acres Of lam. tie
choicest along the Missouri river,
which has been settled up largely
in the past year. Already hun
Idresls Of new settlers are coming
in, and preparing TO settle upon
their lands as soon as'spring opens,
General WASH burn may be said ia
have been the pioneer in the re-
cent boom, in North Dakota lands
He was among the first to signify
his confidence nOMissouri slope
lands by making an immense pur.
chase, and in addition to that, he
built a railroad to settle up the
country along his road. He has
therefore been one one Of the most
substantial benefactors Of the
western partof the state. $s.3
The, business Of thesland offices
in the western part Of North Da.
kota is also an indication Of how
the land is being taken. AT The
Bismarck Office lor the past few
months the homesteads have aver.
aged from $50 to 200 per month
which, with the other entries made
means that 10000 to 10000 acres
of government pomain ii being
taken every month, Of at the rate
of a.half million5acres eyery9syear
III is not difdhcultStossese how soor
The available cheap government
Hand will Be exhausted, AMI wthlser
thatstims comes. al farm lands ii
thsWsestsrnas partsof the state vii
adyanc.esHin price withsa Jump.
Along the line Ithe " ashblrr
road many settlers IRE ps preparing
ossstttls upon ths lands they haYt
SEfNltfEih-