October, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



385 



One by One Simple Little Cottages Were Built Upon the Lake 



and when partly cleared the ground was sown with grass to 

 provide food for the cows and horses. There was little 

 done that early spring and summer except to get things 

 started. Winter was ahead and provision had to be made 

 for it. Wood was cut and stacked away for fuel, land 

 plowed and planted, and buildings repaired. The diet of 

 the couple consisted chiefly of vegetables and fruits, with 

 fresh eggs, and occasional wild rabbit, a squab or two at 

 times, and later, spring broilers. Potatoes, turnips, cab- 

 bages, grain, and hay were stored away abundantly for 

 winter use. 



Then the beginning of the problem began. Up to this 

 time it was merely the preparation for existence independent 

 of markets and cities. 



"This is a beautiful country and well stocked with game," 

 mused the man. "This lake is a beautiful sheet of water, 

 the pines and spruce fill the air with healthful odors, and the 

 hills make lovely walks and sun-set views. I'm going to 

 make this place an exclusive summer resort." 



This had been his idea from the first. But as he developed 

 his plans the idea grew and the work increased. The lake 

 was fed by a clear stream of water, which he stocked with 

 trout. He purchased quail for breeding purposes the fol- 

 lowing spring, protected and fed the wild rabbits, cleared 

 the ground only near the house, built additions to the home, 

 and made the interior clean and sweet with rough logs and 

 unfinished pine boards. He was kept busy 

 all that winter and forgot to be lonely. His 

 health returned, and he found himself equal 

 to the work. 



By the following year he was ready for 

 profits. Up to this time it had all been a 

 steady outlay. The cost of living had been 

 small, but all the improvements had cost 

 him a good deal. His five thousand dollars 

 of capital had dwindled to a pretty small 

 sum, and something had to be done to bring 

 in some returns. 



He named the place the "X Club," 



an exclusive organization, owned by one 

 man. Through his former business associates 

 he secured a few boarders the following 

 summer. They came for the fishing, loafing, 

 and hunting. Most of them were anxious 

 to get away from all civilization, and here 

 they found a rude home already prepared 

 for them. It was like dropping off into the 

 wilderness and finding a place to welcome 

 you. They drove twenty-five miles through 



a desolate region, and then found Paradise. 

 They were fed on fresh fruits and vege- 

 tables, fresh eggs, spring broilers, young 

 squabs, fresh-water fish, and some wild 

 game. They were willing to pay hand- 

 somely for this service, and thought they 

 were lucky. 



"See here, Mr. J , if you need any 



more money to fix up this place, I'll take 

 stock in the concern," announced one busi- 

 ness man. "But the club must be exclusive, 

 and not open to every one." 



The up-shot of this proposition was that 

 a limited amount of stock was sold, but only 

 to such members who were voted upon by 

 those already in. This opened the way for 

 taking up the rest of the land on which the 

 pioneer had an option. Not only the thou- 

 sand acres, but five thousand were secured. 

 It included some of the finest forest and lake 

 region as well as barren hillside farm land. 

 Within three years the region was converted into an ideal 

 spot for summer vacation and for fall and winter hunting. 

 Shrewd owners of adjacent land put up their prices from five 

 dollars to twenty-five dollars per acre. They were sur- 

 prised at the changes which had been made, but they were 

 still far from gauging the exact condition of affairs. Under 

 the united action and support of his limited stock company, 

 the pioneer owner either bought up or secured the option on 

 most of the desirable land within many miles of his country 

 home. 



He foresaw a land boom, and he was prepared for it. 

 With the profits of his abandoned farm he could afford to 

 hire a man, and in the summer he had two working for him. 

 The lake and stream were more heavily stocked with trout 

 and bass. Every season the fishing improved, and rigid 

 rules were enforced as to the number of fish to be taken out 

 by one angler. Meanwhile, the quail had taken kindly to 

 their new home and were multiplying in numbers. Acres of 

 buckwheat were sown for their exclusive use, shelters pre- 

 pared for them in winter, and food distributed on the snow 

 in winter. The rabbits were likewise cared for, and they 

 became so numerous that it was necessary to organize hunts 

 for them each season to keep them from eating up the farm. 



By this time the "X Club" was known as much for 



its good hunting as for its fishing, and members broke away 

 from business in the middle of the winter to attend a rabbit 





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The Club House that Solved One Problem of the Abandoned Farm 



