Railway Contractors Bet Big on Usk as Milwaukee Line Speculation Swirls
A 480-acre ranch sells for $15,500, then the Usk townsite itself changes hands, fueling talk that the new railroad will remake the Calispel Valley.
Big Deals Near Usk Last Thursday the L. D. Pruitt ranch of 480 acres, lying along the Pend Oreille River between the towns of Usk and Cusick, was sold to Messrs. Onshrud Jones, of Rosalia, Wash., the price paid being $15,500. Onshrud Jones are railway contractors at present doing a large amount of work on the new Milwaukee system. They have taken possession of their purchase, and have sent down a force of men to get in their hay crop, which is unusually good this year. On Saturday a still larger deal was consummated, Geo. H. Jones selling his ranch, store property and townsite of Usk to a gentleman from Walla Walla. These two deals have aroused considerable interest in the Calispel Valley, and there is a general opinion that they are made with the idea that the new road is going to build down the west side and exploit a town site on these properties.
“There is a general opinion that they are made with the idea that the new road is going to build down the west side and exploit a town site on these properties.”
Land speculation tied to new transportation routes is an old Northwest story. When a railroad was rumored, acreage became a lottery ticket. Today's debates over highway interchanges, light rail, and data-center corridors still see landowners and townsite promoters trying to guess where the next line will run.
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