Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-09-18
BIRTH OF NEW TOWNS
YEAR HAS SEEN MANY BORN
IN NORTHWEST.
Map shows 1876 New Ones. Most of
Them in the Dakotas-Nev Meth
cd of Boomers-Railroad Surveys
Fix Sites.


DAY, writes a correspondent of the Chi
cago Daily News. During thepast twelve
months total of 1876 new dots have APP
peared on the map, most of them in the
Dakotas. According to figures obtained
from railroad officials, twenty-seven have
been built along extensions of the Mime
apolis and ST. Paul railroad thirty-three
along the Great Northern, seven on the
Milwaukee and ST. Paul. forty-nine on
the 500 lines, twelve on the Northwestern,
four on the Burlington, ten on the Du-
luth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg and FIVE
on the Minnesota and International. All
these roads have under construction or i'll
contemplation extensions that will add q
hundred more towns before the close Of
1907.
Ordinarily it is the railroad official who
puts his finger on the spot on the map
where the new town is TO be- But the
railroad official is not the first to go into
the new country. Into the inland pro-
ceeds merchandising advance guard
of men who would speculate on the town
sites. These real pioneers select what
they think will be town site and then
await the railroad.
Move When 1t Doesn't Come.
And when the railroads surveyors come
along and fix the town a few miles away,
as is often done, occurs the most remark
able spectacle of all this busy business of
making a new country. In years gone
by the town off the line would have tried
TO bride the railroad to come it's way, or,
failing, to build spur. But that fashion
has gone out of style.
Nowadays the town off the line very
calmly puts business and residence houses
on wheels or skidS, hooks them to forty
horse teams or big threshing engines and
begin procession across the prairie to
where the railroad town site has been
marked out. At such times the newcomer
must not be surprised to see completely
equipped bank going along the great
kings highway of unbounded rolling land
in tow of a thresher, its employees trans
acting business as they go.
Nor must the visitor be surprised if,
passing along the unseamed prairie he
should suddenly come across a group of
signs in the middle of a wheat field an
nouncing John Smith will open a gen.
eral store on this lott or This is where
the Farmers bank will soon be doing
business" These legends mean that this
is the spot where the town trailing across
the prairie will STOP For the town sites
are always laid out weeks in advance of
the coming of the railroad. Towns were
moved in this way in the case of Platte,
S. D., which was Snaked thirty miles
across country, and, only a few weeks
ago, by Dallas, which moved all its be-
longings over to Gregory, on the railroad
line in the Bonesteel reservation.
Railroads Are Arbitrary.
The railroads are decidedly arbitrary
about where they put the new towns.
Their town site department handles the
sale of lots and opening of business. but
the sites are fixed largely by the survey
ors. Usually the towns average ten miles
apart. Level places are preferred for
them. as then the trains will not be in
danger of 'stalling" on a grade. The
town site determined upon, the lots are
laid out. The plaza usually marked out,
for the modern town of the West is sight
ly. Ordinarily the town is on the north
side of the railroad, to act as a snow
break in winter. When the proper time
arrives the lots are advertised for sale at
an auction.
On days of town site sales the scene
takes on the appearance of a Fourth of
July celebration. People come for many
miles. There are picnic parties on the
grass, ball games in the wheat stubble
or on the virgin prairie, foot races and
ether vents" characteristic of a gala day.
All over certain price paid for the
lots is donated to the public improve
ment fund. Lots about the plaza usually
sell for $500, the price running down to
$50 at a distance from the center of the
town. Lots are decided to future boards
of trustees for the building of public
schools and to the extension departments
of church organizations, regardless of
creed. Lots often are donated to cream.
cries, flour mills and minor institutions,
to induce them to locate and help the
town. For the railroad companies are
usually as much interested in seeing these
towns prosperous as are the settlers.
Many of the investors in these towns
are salaried men from cities. who prefer
10 take their chances of growing rich with
the new country. These men pay small
balances down and the remainder is COW
cred by mortgages. The prosperity of
these new towns is indicated by the fact
that one railroad that sold 1000 lots
handling 100000 in twenty seven new
towns in the last year, had only two de-
faults of contract. Out of these same
twenty-seven towns. twenty reached the
300 mark within the year aad most OF
them within three months.