The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-12-11
SETTLING IN THE: WEST
Large Areas For Farms Taken
Up by Colonies.
HOMES STARTED ON CHEAP LANDS

Comm UniEics of Foreign Families
AgeRts-ETect of Recent Successes
IR Wheat observation-disclosures to the
Fore In Western Kansas.
a significant movement in settlement
Is taking place In connection with the
development of prairie lands at the eX-
treme western part Of this state and
IN Colorado, as well as in other parts
of the western Mississippi valley,
where cheap land is to be obtained,
writes the special correspondent of the
New York Post at Abilene Kan. This
is particularly true OF colonies made
UP generally of foreign descended fam
lilies, who are DESTROYS of forming set.
Elements that shall be distinctly for
their own people. Agents of the Ger
man American settlements of Pennsyl-
vania, and the similar population, of
Ohio and western New York have
made many trips to the prairie states
to seek locations for the constantly
overlooking numbers that must go out
= anto the larger- field and make homes.
A committee of Quakers has been
travelling up the Arkansas valley and
has just purchased for the Use Of the
members. of that sect 5000 acres in
Prowers county, .Colo., on which will
be located 1000. families. The lands
they have chosen are on one Of the
large bitches where the level acres
stretch away for miles in every direc-
ton and where the sugar beet can be
raised in great abundance and rich
ness. The" Quakers have located sew
eral colonies in the west In the last
few years, some of which have been
successful and some not. This attempt
is based on more substantial basis
THAI some of the others. Only QuaKers
will be admitted, and they will come
{. from Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. They
expect to pay $40, an: acre for, their
land, with an annual water assess
ment Of 40 to so cents ain acre. The
bitches that supply The e lands are 265
miles long and are fed from the Ar
kansas river. -, ~s-..+"..' =, 80 -
Another. colony just, located is. in
Greer county, Okla, where 1000 fami-
hes from Germany are to settle, each
family getting forty acres. This land
was bought throughs agents and lis to
be owned at the outset in commop 3.
In western Kansas thereais gro ling
UP large colony of Russians. who are
taking the wheat grounds and succeed
admirably in producing that cereal.
They began comingtin the early eight
les, and ,,of late. years. their numbers
haye SO increased, that they are practi-
caIly' the possessors Of two or three
counties: They build churches that cost
see, 900 eachS. !Theitowns~ are closely
built The neighboripg lands have been
bought up by these people as fast as
they could find the money until the
prices have been raised to the highest
knoWn in the western part of the state
since the BOOM times. Many are COM
ing from Europe at frequent intervals,
and their friends here are buying land
for them in advance of their arrival
The Dunkards. or, River Brethren,
who are allied. to the Quakers without
being of their sect. are buying more
land steadily, taking, however, the
higher priced farms of central Kansas.
They are. bringngl many hundreds Of
immigrants, out from the east to .ex-
tend their colonies and are proving
va1uable citizens III that they have no
paupers. and scarcely a criminal.
The lcQlonists: who 3haNei moved into
Oklahoma during the last few months
have had some difficulty in securing
farms in body. They have been
more successful when buying up the
cheap Hands In the western Parts.
WHERE tbe< homesteaders> are not so ca
ger to locate. In the northwest. where
the railroads have. been behind the. i'm
migration movement, whole neighbor
hoods in the middle states, such as IL
Inois. iowa .ar9 WISCONSIN, have been
TRANSPORTED to new Fhomes. 1t is esti-
mated that 100000 people have settled
In ting pQEthwest SINCE March through
the bQmeseekers' excursions. These
tekcfifs1ohs are becoming notable for
'fAR9roWds they bring
The wheat successes have been re-
/. spa5sqbqlq for a great deal. of. the pur-
chasing Of land. Hundreds of sales
have been made for the purpose of
sb1flil4tioh all through the wheat
b3aB;iw hion now extends into what
was once thought only fit for grazing.
I,9e binds that eastern investors once
l0aneI .noney on then took through
1fof'9st't6sed mortgages and finally sold
for a trife or abandoned to go to the
5eopMties for the taxes are coming i'll the
market one western Kansas county
held go quarter section farms, 100
acres eacn, that came to it in this way.
For three years it has been trying to
sell them for approximately $40 quar-
ter section under tax title. Recently,
owing to the demand for land, the
farms have been withdrawn from the
market and VIII either be redeemed by
will no