The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-05-20
rs YOUR NAME WRITTEN
IN BRICK AND MORTAR?

There is a Mr.. Gay, who operates
a hardware store at Hardin, Mont,
away down in an out-of-th-way
place near an Indian reservation,
where white men could not go out
and settle. Then too, there was
some semi-arid land ana some
mountain tops that were not much
good for farming, and mems ideas
differed as to what the country
would eventually develop into.
Two or three years ago Mr. Gay
erected $4,000 building in the
little town of Hardin, and used part
of it in his hardware business. The
rest of it was for rent. 1
A man visiting in Hardin singled
him out and asked him why he tied
up SO much money in building in
that little town, where there were
no other very expensive buildings.
He said he did it as a business VEN
ture that he thought was a good
venture, ana for the purpose of ex-
pressing his faith in the country. He
said this expression, of faith was
worth some money to the other peo-
pie there, and he was glad to bene-
fit his fellow citizens. Explaining
further, he said he considered that
the erection of his building added
about 50 an acre to the value of
every farm within a radius of few
miles of Hardin. He said the, in
creased values would show up when
homeseekers came in to buy land.
When they found that this man Gay
who had lived there for some time,
felt enough confidence in the future
of the community to invest $4,000
in a building for commercial pur-
poses, they would accept his estimate
of land values and be willing to
buy at higher prices than they would
il not man along the street was
willing to invest in anything but a
temporary structure. Men. who build
stores in a boom mining town, build
temporary affairs. Men who build
makeshifts in an agricultural town,
say in effect that they think the town
may pinch out like boom mining
town.
Neil F. Boyle Is now clearing off
a group of frame buildings to erect
a palatial hardware store, where he
will occupy all the room with his
own goods. In doing so he is add
ing an emblem of faith in the country
around Blackfoot, and as the land is
all alike for 100 miles, we all have
a chance to consider the problem of
how many dollars it adds to the
value of each acre in each farm.
If Mr.. Boyle were newcomer in
the community the value of his ex-
ample might not be so pronounced,
but he has been here eighteen or
twenty years and he set that same
kind Of an example the first few
months after his arrival.
There are other buildings in the
town that are above par, and whose
owners were recognized as going far
ahead of the town when they built
Look along the street and read the
spirit of enterprise and the express
sions of faith as shown by the build
ings that men erected. In each in
stance, consider the caliber of the
man and his opportunities to Judge
of the worth of the country before he
built, and then consider again how
much influence he carried and how
much he added to values per acre
when he finished his structure and
threw open its doors for the house,
warming. There may be structures
that pulled land values down some
what, but just pass them and have
charity for mistaken views and mis-
taken judgment.