The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-03-13
LAND SW|NDLE
ON VAST SCALE
SWEEPS WEST
Steal, Pure and Simple, Is
Perpetrated in Name of
Boulder Dam.
BY MAX STERN
Times staff Correspondent

LAS VEGAS, New, March 3D.
The newest racket is the great
Boulder Dam land swindle.
1t is being staged around this
little Nevada town, in the MoJaVe
desert. 200 miles from anywhere.
And 1t is an adventure in genteel
pocket picking that has reached the
proportion of Big Business.
THE 'eVegas boom" is legitimate 10
a certain extent. This town is the
onlv railway center near the pro-
nosed s10O,00O,000 Black Canyon
dam, 1t is but 5wenty-seven mics
from the dam site and it is destined
to reap certain growth as the result
Of cheap power.
But upon this solid foundation
unscruplous land sharks have build
ed fairy castles of get-rich-qulcK
speculation that surpass anything
ever seen in the west. These, by
l,ioh-nowered radio talks, personal
can1naiens in san Francisco, Los
Angeles, and eastern cities and false
prospectus maps are drawing to Ger
tain heart-breaking disappointment
thousands of poor and middle class
wage and salary earners.
Town Covers Square Mile
Counting its red Light and green
light districts - green lights mark
the bootleg joints-Las Vegas covers
about one square mile. The town
limits enclose fourteen cquare miles.
Beyond these lines is a no mans
land of sun-baked or sand-swept
desert. And here begin the city
subdivisions" with Getty lots" for the
far-off suckers.
There already are 5000 acres OF
such subdivisions" They have been
bougth at from 81 to $25 an acre.
Some are tax-title lands, titles OF
which never may be cleared. They
are being sold in twenty -tve-foot
lots. as nigh as $50 a front foot.
visited four of the seven OF these
far-of desert subdivisions OF city
that is not a city. Las Vegas has at
most $500 people. Yet you could
settle within its own limits and the
new subdivision" a city as big as
Los Angeles or San Francisco.
one was called Las Vegas View
Tract. 1t was four and one-half
miles from the town, an uneven
patch of dry desert. From most
places in it one would need fifty
foot periscope to get the cherished
view of Las Vegas. The owner has
scraped off the sagebrush for
streets" and set white posts to
sign the fancy named streets Other
wise no work had been done.
Sell at Two for $50,
The cost had been $40 an acre,
an exorbitant price. The lots are
being sold to working folks at the
bargain price of two for $40, plus
SO for "street work"
The most astounding wildcat land
venture, however, lies near the
scene of the great lake to be Gre
ated back of Black Canyon dam.
1t is called Bouler Dam park, and
for the fabulous fulminators of its
packers prospectus a certain Los
Angeles real estate man has had
his California license Withdraw by
Real Estate Commissioner Barne-
son.
This park" is touted as a scenic
lakeside resort-to-be, where the
10000 workmen of the dam project
YIill travel "about thirty minutes
,idrive from the dams location" and
live under shade trees and on
graded streets" Closer scrutiny
reveals that instead of the park
nesting athwart the blue and
placid lake it more likely will be
some five miles distant.
Actually it lies in a wash that
drain; a 1o0-mile square area, is
sixteen miles from the dam site,
probably never will be anything but
what it is, part of the great arid,
sun-baked, open spaces.
i Yet more than 1900 lots have
been sold in California, Texas,
Idaho, Nevada and eastern states
at as high as $98 for 25x1O2-foot
plot.