On this date in 1907, the Washburn Leader reprinted an article from the Devils Lake Inter-Ocean warning of a land sale scam.
Readers were told that land speculators were making wild promises to lure investors to Texas. But instead of the new El Dorado the investors promised, people would find only find dry, played out land. The newspaper assured readers that land in North Dakota was preferable to anything they could find in Texas. The newspaper cautioned that investors who were enticed to relocate would be would be leaving a good thing in North Dakota for an uncertain future.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was designed to settle the West. Any homesteader with ten dollars and determination could claim and “prove up” 160 acres of land. Americans and immigrants alike headed west in search of the American Dream. The newcomers had to supply their own tools, build some kind of structure as a home, and take on the challenges of a harsh and unforgiving climate. But many of them were able to tough it out.
The land boom attracted speculators. Some of them bought up cheap land and sold it at many times the original price. Others simply sold land they didn’t own, or enticed newcomers to purchase worthless land at inflated prices. The newspaper said this was the case in Texas of the early 1900s. Syndicates bought land for a dollar an acre, then sold it at ten to fifteen dollars per acre.
The scam artists were clever. They established prosperous looking farms within sight of the railroad station so visitors would be impressed. They would also raise cattle in the north, then bring them to Texas while they were still fat and sleek. They also hired people to pose as wealthy local farmers who would tell visitors how easy it was to get rich there.
The Devils Lake newspaper wished to make it known that it had no grievance against Texas, but it warned that anyone thinking of relocating there should go slow and do a complete investigation. When people learned of the drawbacks of Texas including pests, disease, severe storms, dry summers, hot winds, and sandstorms, most were happy to stay put in North Dakota.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Washburn Leader. “Texas Land Buyers Buncoed.” Washburn, ND. 19 April 1907. Page 1.
US History Scene. “The Homestead Act.” ushistoryscene.com/article/1862-homestead-act/ Accessed 10 March 2018.
