Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-06-27
HOW FORTUNES ARE MADE u
NORTH DAKOTA.

~ lewis LAKE eaUO WaU sSUe WV"
He Made a Small Fortune from a
Modest Beginning After Several Ups
and Downs.
A. NJ. Powell, an enterprising land
man at Devils Lake and h Inter
Ocean If a recent date contains the
following:
The Dayton Ohio Journal Of recent
date. gives our Land Man Powell the
| following complimentary notice:
MIR. Albert NJ. Powell one of the
Dayton emigrants, who settled In
North Dakota in the boom times OF
's3. is still there, has stuck to Devils
Lake, during the hard times and has
weathered through adversities. He is
now on the crest of the present revival
and besides other interests he has
the Powell farm of 115 acres, from
which twenty bushels of fax was ha~-
vested"
In reading the above one might in
fer quite naturally that the Powell
farm consisted of only 116 acres;
whereas the Inter Oceans map of
Ramsey county just published, shows
that Powell's land holdings in this
county aggregate 1890 acres, and on
undivided one-half interest with his
brother in law, George w. Mooers,
in 1892 acres. A very conservative
estimate of the average value would
in the judgment of the Inter-Ocean
be 5000 per acre, which makes Mr..
Powell's landed interest aggregate the
quite snug sum of $44,720. Seeing
this unique monogram on his letter
head, Started business in 1883 on
$780," the Inter-O Oceans representa-
tive asked the deacon for an expla-
nation and he modestly replied: We'll
that's no fake-I some times wish
it was. I inherited approximately
$13.500 from my fathers estate, he
having a widow and nine children. He
had failed twice in his life but after
wards paid dollar for dollar and left
quite a competence, his life insurance
alone a~ggregating what was In those
days regarded as an unusually large
sum. $4,000.
after school days I went into the
grocery business at Dayton, making
quite a then as a silent partner
in a wholesale cigar and tobacco
business, dropping" a few thousand,
then in Fargo, N. D., in the boom
days of 1882, and buried there in town
lots close on to $4,000; then to Cando
and Devils Lake where for over two
and a half years I worked like a beav'
er as financial man and bookkeeper
for the pioneer firm Of c. L. Budde al
the muniicent figure of $40 and $50
per month. I resigned to keep books
for the old Devils Lake -four mill al
$1,000 a year but in a few weeks was
thrown out in the cold, cold world
Banker Fulton, of Grand Forks, who
held a controlling interest, felt that
he had to give the place to his protege
Mr.. George Norton. I had $685. tc
the s BOD. $75 OF whicl.-I got from Mr.
Fulton for my lacerated feelings ani
to drop my law suit. l walked the
streets of Devils Lake three days ant
cried my eyes out three nights bu
my English pride would not let me g.
back to dear old Ohio stranded, ant
face the T-told-you-so' friends. I pickle
up an old volume which had THU
wise comment: Young man, II 20,
can give faithful and valuable service
to another, you are worth many time
as much to work for yourself-so strike
out Knowing I had mighty little t.
lose-and possibly something . gail
Il made up my mind to try real es
. tate, loans and insurance, so that dit
, not take much stock in trade. excep
courage. nerve and hard work. ] rent
ed desk room from Huesgen. tn
jeweller in the basement of the frs
National ank. My first loan was mad
Dec. 4, 18S4-$350-and my first mr.
insurance policy written Feb. 2, 1885
on which my commission was 80. An
say, Mr.. Reporter, excuse me-. | can
"Reminiscences any longer. for Their
comes Mr.. N. to close up that $3.50
loan on his three quarters in Mime
waukan township. But say what
!, have been telling you is not for pull
LEGATION, do you hear? It's of interes
. to me. but who else cares-for Their
are so many in this growing northwes
, who do things-don't yer know"