The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-10-24
THOMSEN SELLS
LARGE HOLDINGS
AN ILLINOIS FARMER BUYS TRACT
Clayton Fletcher Declares He Will Prac,
hce General Farming ThOmSen Has
/ Been Successful in Valley

Up. Iocusen, one of the large land
holders Of the vaiiee who disposed Of
his property in Duke 5 Valley last
week, tracts comprising 20u @eres OF
land well adapted to the growing 81 !
apples, declares that the most FORUM
ate turn that Fate ever made in his |
behalf was that of causing him to seek |
the Hood River valley. Mr.. Thomson
came to the valley in the year of 1894 |
4 from Portland. His first purchase was
that Of leo acres from Robert Livings-
tone. For this FIRST tract he paid the
/ sum of $500 Later Ter an so acre
tract he paid the sum of "a, 200. Other
purchases cost him 81 500, making his
total capital invested in Dukes Valley
land 5000, which he has disposed of
fer S67, 0O0.
Since the first of this year MIR.
Thomson has sold land in the valley to
| the value OF 500, 900. The sale OF the
200 acres of Dukes Valley property, the
consideration for which was $40, 600,
closes out his holdings there. How
ever, he still owns 100 acres IN Pine
| Grove district, where he is making his
l home.
The tract retained by MIR. Thomson
1 is part of purchase made a number
| OF wears ago by himself and f. G. Sex
II from Senator Moody On it are II
Il acre orchard and a SO acre meadow
II He harvested from his meadows this
II year 800 tons of excellent hay, a very
II profitable crop in itself. The balance
of the ranch is unimproved. However
II the owner will devote bis time towar'
II bringing it into high state OF pre-
Il ductiyity.
II The story of MIR. Thomson reads lik
II romance. Yet it happened righ
II here in the Hood River apple district
II where so many similar romances G
III business have been worked out becaus
Ill of the adaptability of the region to tn
HI growth of the king of fruits, the apple
III When Mr.. Thomson had made his pul
chases, he found that he was unabl,
- for lack of capital to go ahead wit
the Improvement Of his land. He LEI
n for The Dales, where he became inte
HI ested in box factory. FiVe.ye al
HI he sold out his interest in that ente
HI prise and returned here. The consi
HI Grafton of the box factory sale W
II Sl2, 600.
HI Forty acres of the Livingston
II tract wass sold to c. K. Bone,
Ill the time he began his orchard develo
HI ments, the land bringing $3.50 an aci
III Mr.. Bone later sold to Burt Van Ho
HI for SIS, 600. The remainder OF
HI place figuring in the recent TRANSACT
i'll kvnt,uhf tho Ci1rn af Sal (NNl
Hi Mr.. Fletcher, who was here in $
Ill tember with his family visiting
MI family of his brother-in-law, j.
NIlScbmeftzer, was so imbued with
HI valley as home location, that he
HI cided to return home and dispose of
ranch of l20 acres in Illinois.
HI He became quite interested IN
HI Hood River methods of growing fr
HI hat could not understand why more
HI teption was not paid to other thi
Ill such as poultry, hogs and dairying.
HI was surprised to learn the prices
HI for poultry, eggs and butter and
HI few of the Hood River ranchers RAJ
HI anything but fruit
Ill He met one man who showed hin
HI ducks raised in eight months from
nair of Indian Runner ducks.
poultry of all kinds seemed to tn
and he never saw such clover ana
fafa in all his life. n,
HI He learned that the Hood H
HI rancher worked about eight months
the year and always had time IN
middle of the season.for week !
ing. In Illinois they had to WORK eN
day in the year from five in the IN
ing to nine at night and made apou'
an acre from their land. =
HI The Hood River germ was beginf
to work. Mrs. Fletcher became
HI thusiastic over the country also. ]
began to look for tract where
iii could raise fruit, hay, poultry and
II a few cows. After looking over
HI valley they found what suited t
WH best. a 200 acre tract belonging
lVgP, Thomson. About twelve acres
LII in orchard and 10 acres in hay
other crops. A creek runs through
. torner of the place and water for
patise is supplied from the ditch.
An @t,tion was secured from
? Tbomsep through j. II. Heilbro
Il e Co. aud word has Just arrlvtd
= NJ FLETCHER that he has sold his
nois farm and will move here IN
snyinP.