The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-18
Sell BIC ACREAGE
Santa FEES Land Project in
Southwest Kansas a Success.
Building Two Lines of Railroad
Makes Service Complete.

-a.uft by the Santa Fe" would be
a. PROPER label for southwestern Kan
sas
The Santa Fe railway is now putting
the finishing touches on a TRANSACTION
which involved the sale on the IN,
staIlment plan of 100000 acres OF iaIu
in small tracts in that section of the
state Purchasers were given nine
years to complete the payment. some
of them paid out in TWO or three
wears. most of them paid out before
the expiration of the time speclIleu
in the contract, and It was hecesSaI
for the company to grant extensions TO
a few settlers; but there has not been
"A single foreclosure suit. Those VINO
had 10 ask for extensions on account
OF i'll health or other misfortune are
making final payments and receiving
deeds
prior to 1909 several counties in the
southwestern part Of the state were
without transportation facilities. me
d strict was sparsely settled and the
farmers living there depended largely
ON cattle corn and wheat. They did
fairly well with cattle; corn generally
was poor. and only about every third
wheat crop was worth while Many
settlers tried to farm as they farmed
in the old states-in Maine, or ohio,
or Wisconsin. 1t couldn't be done; the
settler failed. sold out Tor trifle and
\ Call to Young Farmers.
The Santa F'e management saw pos
sib lit.es in these southwestern coun-
tfes-saw the need of more home own
crs to till the soil scientifically and
thus build up the country-and
planned a great development program.
Thru Il holding company it bought
100000 acres of land in Gray Has
Rel. Stevens. Seward. Norton, Stanton
and Grant counties, and put it on the
market at a little above cost, and then
started "A nationwide advertising cam
paign tor young farmers who would
He willing to buy the land and farm
&c according to a system established
by the cOmpany's agricultural depart
ment-a system which had been dem
unstratcd successfully by the Kansas
Agricultural college. Settlers were al
lowed TO pay One-eishth of the pur-
chase price down; interest and taxes
only to bc paid Ut the end of the first
year: olc-eighth to be paid annually
thereafter until the Indebtedness had
been satisfied.
The project was started in 1909. On
the day that the land advertising cam
Daicn opened. construction work was
begun ON new line from Dodge City
10 ElEhart. a distance of 125 miles, to
provide needed transportation facil-
iics for the territory described. With
in ninety days there was home maxi
ing boom n southwestern Kansas,
g ID the district has developed stead
i,y ever since
Raise All Crops.
The new settler raised wheat, but
he did not depend on it absolutely,
AIS many an old settler had done. The
santa Fc agricultural agent was on
Land to tell him about the sure crops
oi lsaffir. and milo, ana feterita; about
broom corn and melons; about the
Z eI@,V,
the helpful hen which can keep a
family going while the new farm is
in the making.
The southwestern counties began to
il' ssOm as the proverbial rose. and
ia 1911 every county was listed among
1hc prize winners at the state fair at
Hutchinson.
The sale of Santa Fe lands opened
the district to a big settlement move
mont. When an investor could not
ind the railroad land he wanted. he
bought from some other source in the
community Fasteners who held
tracts in the district put their holdings
on the market. and the prices fixed
by the Santa Fe prevailed generally
turnout the district. The Santa FEES
lands sold for from $1,000 to s3.joO
per quarter.
Santa Fe Furnishes Facilities.
In connection with this venture The
Ia ilbdu DuilO Il new line extend I'll Z
from Dodge City to Elkhart, a dis
lance of 125 miles. to provide the
needed transportation facilities for the
newly opened territory, and now
comes the Satanta branch which will
make this cervice complete. This line
viii be fiftyfive miles long and will
he wholly within Grant and Stanton
counties with the exception of the
first few miles out of Satanic which
viii be in Haskell county.
Altho the Santa Fe has sold most of
its holdings. the fact the Satanta line
is going 20 be built this year has
caused Il flutter in the real estate
business in that section. According
to w T. Oliver, general agent of the
santa Fe Land Improvement com
pany, thru which the railroad has
carried on its big development pro-
ject the Santa FEES holdings at the
present time consist mostly of lots in
the townsites of Satanic. New ULYSSES
and johnson which the line will serve.
Closed Door to Spectators.
These lots are now in demand and
there is also considerable speculation
around the spot where the line is
scheduled to terminate but according
10 Oliver most of the activity is con-
fined to lands already In the hands
OF the farmers, who in many in
stances, are finding it convenient 10
sell on terms similar to those offered
by the Santa Fe when the territory
was first developed
disposig of the 100000 acres of
land the Santa Fe closed the door
against SPECTATORS The purpose of
the undertaking was to develop that
territory and the land was sold ex-
clusively to homeseekers. In dispos-
ing of its remaining townsite prom
critics the Santa Fe will adhere to the
same principle by dealing only with
such persons as will help build I'm the
community.
FOUR ROADS ANNOUNCE CUTS
santa te and Rock Island Among
Those Naming Tourist Rates.