The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1909-08-13
Af|ER NJ 0kANOGAN LANDS.
A Wenatchee Resident Who
Knows a Good Thing
When He Sees It.
GETS1N ON THE GROUNOFl0OR
Purchases are Made With a View
OF Future Extensive Orch
ard Improvements.

The land purchased at the school
land sale Saturday by Geo. H. Ellis, of
Wenatchee, added to the purchases he
has hitherto made himself and in con-
junction with Jas. z. Forde, in this
county, figures up to large acreage,
and represents the investment of many
thousands of dollars This disposition
on the part of Mr.. Ellis to invest in
Okanogan county lands is worthy OF
some notice, as it is indicative of the
utmost confidence in the country, and
will have tendency to attract other
investors this way. This is not men,
toned because it happens to Mr.. Ellis
as an individual who is buying, but be-
cause he is led into these investments
from personal observation of the rapid
advance in real estate values in local
tiles where the soil, climatic conditions
and favorable aspects were far less
auspicious than in Okanogan county,
and from the further fact that he is
not the class of investor that will per-
init his holdings to remain unimproved
and unproductive of an income. He is
a thorough business man, weighs we'll
every chance, whether in commercial
dealinge or any class of speculation,
and has plans formulated before taking
the fret step in the investment of cap
ital Besides he is in touch with men
who have made fortunes in handling
lands, and especially irrigable lands,
and his initiative in securing foot
hold in the more favored portions .ss,f
this county will be an incentive for
Others to invest, not only in lands but
reclamation projects.
Mr.. Ellis learned experience in a
good school, and while he did not bene-
fit largely from the. first opportunity
presented, he proposes to be among
those who will win out in the certain
advancement of Okanogan county lands.
Associated with James f. Forde, of
this place, Mr.. Ellis embarked in the
mercantile business at Wenatchee q
number of years ago. At that time had
these gentlemen put the capital they
tied up in business into town lots and
acreage property today they would be
very wealthy men. They succeeded in
business, of course, but the profits from
their business is mere bagattele as
compared with what they would have
made had they bought real property in
those early days. Being Immediately
on the ground Mr.. Ellis has seen land
values leap up with marvellous rapidity.
Lots he could have bought for few
hundred dollars are now worth thous-
ands, and lands that could have been
purchased for few dollars an acre are
now held at hundreds. Mr.. Ellis recog-
nizes the fact that SO far rs abaptibil-
ity for the growing of fruits and ca
pacity for production are concerned,
the soil of the Okanogan valley is just
AS good as that of the Wenatchee or
anv other valley. The lack of trans
portation in the past las been the one
great drawback to the advancement
and development of the country, but
with that problem settled Okanogan
will become one of the great fruit pro-
ducing sections of the state, and the
land will rapidly increase in value.
Mr.. Ellis is shrewd enough to see this,
and enterprising enough to get in and
secure as large an amount of land as
he is able to handle. There are nc
chances to be taken in such an invest
ment, it is simply a sure winner. In
few wears hence when he makes large
clean up, there will be men to envy
him who had the same opportunity
but we're shy the enterprise to take
take advantage of 1t.
What plans Mr.. Ellis may have ir
view for the improvement of his pur'
chases is not known, but undoubtedly
he has mapped out a method OF pro
cedure that will enhance the value o.
his holdings. There is one thing sure
he is persevering, as is shown in the
handling of the old Griffin ranch, thai
is owned jointly by himself and Mr
Forde. Several attempts have beer
made to get an orchard started on tha
place without success. Failure, whicf
was owing to carelessness and incom
potency on the part of those in charge
did not discourage, and now, under I'M