The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-08
STRICTLY FARMERS TOWN.
They Are Well Represented in thu
Business Affairs of Athol.

They Are Well Represented in the
Business Affairs of AthoI.
Athol, Kan, March 8.-One of the
best known business men OF the town
says: Athol is a strictly farmers
town; the farmers own the lumber
vators and buy and ship the stock
These business enterprises are char
tered, each one under separate CHAR
ter, and named the Athol Co-opera-
tive Grain, Live Stock and Lumber as
ISOLATION. The officers of the Cooper
alive Grain company are: oliver Dill
saver, president; c. A. Bergman. secre-
tary; c. A. Niche, treasurer, and G. W.
Douglass, manager. Lumber company,
president, G. w. Douglass; secretary
and treasurer E. c. Moore; manager,
Hayes Lyon. Stock association, presl-
dent, o. A. Scott; secretary, F. M.
Myers; treasurer, Samuel Hudson. In
the last year lumber and building ma
terial was sold aggregating about $780,
600; the cattle and hogs handled run
up close to $165,000. and the grain
There are nearly $50 farmers in the
three enterprises, and they claim 1T is
a good PAYNE proposition. The large
majority of them trade in Athol, that
is they bring their stock and grain
here and buy their lumber, groceries
and dry goods of the business men.
Athol is a Smith county town. Be
sides the above business enterprises
the town mas Z Odnk, newspaper
ture, three general stores, hardware
and implements, drug store, several
other smaller business enterprises. be-
sides two churches and good school.
AS regards the wheat prospects in
this section of Smith county it stands
in hand for The merchants to inquire
of the farmers the prospects for wheat.
No discourag!ng reports nave as YET
been received On the other hand the
acreage is larger than year ago, and
the propects are fine.
w. A. Williamson of the Record has
made so much money out of his real
estate business, which is a side line
to his newspaper business, that he is
erecting a $4,000 residence.
Rev. ]. L. Read, pastor of the Con-
gregational church, is quite popular
here. The members met and raised
the amount necessary to pay off the
outstanding Indebtedness on the
church.
1t would appear in Athol that spring
is surely here. The electric theater
has been shut down and pitching horse
than three different games were going
on at one time recently.
Some of the recent real estate deals
here are reported by the Record Realty
company of Athol. under the manage
ment of w. A. Williamson and w I:
John. Their sales since the middle of
February have aggregated SOS, 1000,
embracing in all 1900 acres, and with
Among these sales was half section,
adjoining Athol. which brought SIS
per acre. 1t is claimed this p rice was
the highest ever paid for Smith coun-
ty farm property for a half section.
The land is we'll improved. 1t was
owned by Aug Niche who sold it to
p. V. Ratcliff Another deal by the
same firm was an 80 acre tract which
brought little more than $50 an
acre. The property was bought In 1900
for $1,400.
And another sale was the half sec
ton, four miles from Athol, owned by
c. H. Hecht, was bought by George
Gemaechlich for $4,000. Eight years
ago Mr.. Hecht paid $4,000 for this
farm. At the price he sold it the raise
of the land averaged him better than
$1,700 a year.
The above real estate transactions
ought to prove that Smith county lands
are surer and safer than are the lands
in Texas. Colorado, New Mexico and
other states now being doomed by the
Kansas real estate rustlers.