The Homestead Act promoted westward expansion by offering free land to people who would settle in the west, building homes and farms on land that had previously been occupied by indigenous nations. Colonization companies also played a role. In both the United States and Canada, colonization companies bought tracts of land. They sent agents to Europe armed with brochures that attracted the attention of potential settlers. They arranged for transportation, helped the new settlers choose land, and sold the land for a profit. Oftentimes, the companies also sold farm equipment, seed, and supplies for building houses and barns.
On this date in 1911, the head of the Western Land and Colonization Company returned east after spending a month in Bismarck. During his visit, Mr. Rubinowitz brought several representatives of Hungarian organizations. They were especially impressed with an Industrial Exposition that highlighted the advances of North Dakota, especially in the area of agriculture. Rubinowitz said he was “fairly astounded at the magnificent displays of grains, vegetables, and above all the fine alfalfa and corn.” He promised that his company would bring three hundred immigrant families to North Dakota by the following spring. He said that all of those families would purchase farms in the Missouri Valley.
The companies encouraged articles in foreign language newspapers that immigrants sent to their families in Europe. An article in the German language Der Staats=Anzeiger, a newspaper published in Rugby, North Dakota, extolled the virtues of the new land. While acknowledging that there was a bout of winter cold and “it will do it again the end of the week,” the article assured readers that more comfortable weather would return. The article extolled the virtues of the Western Land and Colonization Company, highlighting the three hundred new immigrant families who would be arriving in the spring. The Bismarck Tribune stated that there was not a more enthusiastic booster of North Dakota than Mr. Rubinowitz and the Western Land and Colonization Company.
It is difficult to determine exactly how many immigrants such companies were able to attract to the American West, or how much money they made, but it is clear that they met with a certain amount of success, and western states welcomed their assistance in attracting new settlers.
Dakota Datebook by Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Rubinowitz Will Seek More Settlers For N.D.” Bismarck ND. 11/2/1911. Page 5.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Exposition Visitors Will Bring Colonists.” Bismarck ND. 10/5/1911. Page 8.
- Der Staats-Anzeiger (The State Gazette). “Stadt und Land” (Urban and Countryside). Rugby ND. 11/9/1911. Page 5.
- Canadian Encyclopedia. “Colonization Companies.” https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/colonization-companies Accessed 10/5/2023.
