The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-10-17
fAmerica, News service)


Chicago. Oct. 17.-Unlcss the unex-
pected should happen and Cap"
Streeter should raise $4,000 before
tomorrow noon. to satisfy judgment
fer that amount obtained for legal
services by his former attorney w. G.
Anderson. the Captains" interests
or alleged interests in the "Deestrict
of Lake Michigan" will be sold to the
highest bidder tomorrow noon, under
orders of the court This would put
an end to Streeter's scuatter career
and shatter bis dreams of wealth
which were based upon his alleged
claim to a strip of made" land along
the shore of Lake Michigan extend
ing for several blocks north and
south from the foot of Chicago avenue
Captain Geo. Wellington Streeter
has been one of the most noted char
acters in Chicago for more than TWEEN
ty years. Every child in the city
knew him and at times the newspa-
pers were full of the accounts Of the
sensational doings in "Streeterville"
Michigan" was popularity called.
Streeter's history is quite interesting
and of an unusual character. The
Captain" is an old man now, some
where around the seventies and of his
early life comparatively little of any
interest is on record. 1t was not until
1888 that Streeter, then running a
small vessel, the Reuter-" engaged in
general transportation on Lake Michi-
gan. became, in the literal sense of the
word fixture in Chicago. His boat
was wrecked or rather stranded upon
a sand bar off the foot of Chicago
avenue and Streeter, having no other
home, remained upon his stranded
craft which defied all efforts to re-
move 1t from the bed of sand upon
which it had found resting place. In
the course of time the presence of
the vessel upon the bank caused such
changes in the swirling currents along
that part of the shore. that the waves
of the lake, which in some places
greedily swallow the gravel and earth
| banks along the shore. began to add
more sand and gravel to the bank sur
rounding Streeter's boat, After a
| while a connection was formed with
the land and as the years passed the
area of the accretion continued to in
crease. The city and many contrac-
tors and private individuals helped
in making" land by filling in the Ia
good between the old shore line and
the bank.
Streeter, who continued to live up.
on the gained ground, fully realized
the value of the made" land and
early in the nineties sought to estab.
lish his right of ownership to the
valuable and steadily growing strip
of shore land, which adjoined one OF
the most fashionable sections of the
north side OF the city. From the au.
thorities in Washington he obtained
some kind of charter for what he
called THE District of Lake Michi.
gan" and he became commissioner
and in fact the whole government OF
the new territory. At the fremont
House. where Streeter had been liv
ing for long time, he established his
headquarters and there he sold lots In
the "deestrict" to a great many peo
pie who had faith in his claims. 1t is
believed that some wealthy citizens
were backing Streeter financially, in
the hope Of making a fortune out OF
the big land scheme. Although hold
Ing no position and having no visible
means of support, Cap" Streeter used
to be flush in those days and looked
quite imposing in his long black
Prince Albert coat and his tall silk
hat, when he received his friends al
the old fremont House.
But the property owners along the
Lake Shore Drive, fearing that the
building up of "Streeterville" would
depreciate the value of their property
began fight in the courts against
Streeter and for years the litigation
wGs carried on with varying success
Efforts were made by the city to GUS
Streeter and his retainers from thu
"deestrict,"' but the Cap" had gri
and defended his alleged property b.