Farm Home of Herman Luepki, near Mattoon.
What the Land Costs
For any portion of 10,000 choice, selected acres, unimproved, we charge from $10 to $20 an acre, according to location. The land is uniform in quality everywhere, its location being the only reason for the variation in price. The excellent roads will make this of little consequence to many. We give you your choice of location in any part that is unsold. To a young man and his family we advise the purchase of forty acres at first, this being large enough on which to make a good living. Larger tracts will be sold to those desiring to engage in farming on a bigger scale.
We give you time in payment for the land, at a low rale of interest. Remember, that if you buy, your railroad fare is refunded to you.
TITLE.—The title is perfect. Printed abstracts of title, with the written opinion of a good lawyer, together with a certificate that all taxes have been paid up to time of purchase, are given every buyer.
TAXES.—Owing to freedom from debt in the counties and townships where our lands are located, the taxes are very moderate.
Improved Lands. At our own expense we have put into cultivation in crops about 500 acres, and we are constantly enlarging this tract, knowing that some buyers will want improved lands. If desired we will sell
forty and eighty acres of this land to individuals at a price to be agreed upon, depending somewhat on the buildings now standing thereon. We can sell you lands from one to ten miles from the town of Mattoon.When you come to inspect the property you will be taken in hand by the owners, and everything will be done to make you acquainted with the country and its hospitable people. There is a hotel in Mattoon which accommodates 200 guests. The rates are moderate, and should you and several of your neighbors decide to come together, you will find ample accommodations.
In cases where the person interested cannot be present, a selection will, if desired, be made for him. Where we do this he will, of course, expect a personal guarantee with the land, as we have represented it, and this we are willing to give. To do this for him, however, we must know what his means are, how much land he wishes to purchase, the size of his family, and whether or not he intends to purchase more and additional land, whether he desires land perfectly level or rolling, and how far he would be willing to locate from town.
I have lived on my farm, two miles from the village of Mattoon, 17 years, and have always raised good crops, and always find a ready market for same right at home. We have good water in abundance. This is a good country for stock raising, as well as for general farming. Always Raised Good Crops
Yours truly,
FRANK WEISE and SON,
Homestead of Harry Parmer, near Mattoon.
Amount of Money you will need—and Why
The man who has accumulated from $300 to $100 by honest industry has shown that if he has the opportunity he will do still better, and accumulate more. This is an evidence of his thrift and character, and that he he will be the kind of citizen and neighbor we want. Idlers are not wanted.
We insist that you build a fair house that will be your permanent home. We make this easy for you by letting you have lumber at cost. No poor shanties are allowed in the settlement.
Some good log houses have been built in a substantial way, and are perfectly satisfactory to us and to the occupant. A building of this kind will cost you very little apart from your own labor.
You ought to own a good team. Two hundred dollars will build you a good house at the price we sell you the lumber. Fifty dollars will pay for a good barn for your team and one or two cows, until you get a start and can afford to build a bigger and better one.
You will always find us and your other neighors ready and willing to aid you.
With these facts before you, and in view of the many others which we cannot give you in the space of a small pamphlet, we can see no reason why it would not be more profitable to you to come to our lands than to go farther west, where you are in danger of droughts, or to go to a country where you have to pay an annual tax or rent for water to irrigate your lands. Some Comparisons
Stock, dairy products, and grain are the great staples. You do not take the chances, which the peach grower or the orange grower must take in the Northwest or South.
Here you have fuel at your door. In the West you must burn your grains and fodder for fuel, or pay enormous prices for coal.
This is a well developed country, why go to a new one?
Here the roads, and schools, and railroads, and churches are all built; why pay $5 or $10 more per acre, where those conveniences are promised, perhaps, but yet do not exist?
One of our Logging Camps.
Our Own Railroad--Trainload of Logs at Mill.
Independence Day Parade at Mattoon.
A Good Country for the Farmer
We, the undersigned, settlers on farms near Mattoon, take pleasure in saying to you that this is a good, healthy country for the farmer. Plenty of fine water from springs and brooks, and wells from 10 to 20 feet deep. The air is clear and bracing. A visit to the country is what will convince you easily as to its advantages for health and good land. Respectfully,
ROBERT WOOD, CHRIS. WINTERBERG.Five years ago I purchased 60 acres of land 1 1/2 miles from Mattoon, and when I am not working on my land clearing it up for crops or putting in or harvesting crops I have always found employment in Mattoon, and my land is not for sale at the present time as it is worth at least 50% more, aside from the improvements, than it was when I purchased it.
Constant Employment—Land Doubled in Value.Yours truly,I have lived in this section of the country for many years and have been engaged in logging and in farming, and about three years ago purchased a small piece of land from the Wisconsin Timber & Land Co. which I now have partly cleared and in crops, and am well pleased with my investment. My property is not for sale.
IRA SHONTS, Mattoon, Wis.Yours truly,I have lived in this country about three years having purchased 40 acres of land near Mattoon which I have improved somewhat and am still working at clearing a part of the time and during the balance of the time am employed in a veneer mill in Mattoon. I can frankly state that I am well pleased with my purchase and have made good money on it.
CHARLES BAUERFEINDYours truly,Three years ago I purchased 40 acres of land 2 1/2 miles from Mattoon and this land is worth today twice what I paid for it aside from the improvements I have put on it. This property is not for sale as I consider it a good investment and have a good home.
PETER JESPERSENYours truly,
JULIA HENSINGER.
What Sort of a Place is Mattoon? 1 Bank. 1 Millinery Store. 3 General Stores. 2 Dressmakers. 1 Feed Store. 1 Bakery. 1 Hardware Store. 2 Livery Stables. 1 Furniture Store. 1 Hospital. 1 Drug Store. 2 Physicians. 4 Confectionery Stores. 1 Dentist. 1 Restaurant. 3 Sawmills. 3 Blacksmith Shops. 1 Veneer Mill. 1 Shoe Shop. 3 Planing Mills. 1 Harness Shop. 1 Shingle Mill. 2 Barber Shops. 1 Newspaper. 1 Meat Market. 1 Telephone System. 1 Photograph Gallery. 1 Fire Department. 1 Stave and Herding Mill. 1 Broom Handle Factory. 1 Wash Tub Stand Fcty. 1 Wood Yard. 1 Dray Line. 1 Cornet Band of 25 PCS. 3 Churches. 1 Y. M. C. A.
"Your neighbors are all Good Fellows."
