Encyclopedia o f Chicago

Historical Sources : Bound Volume
Historical Source
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Letter from Dixwell Lathrop to John Rockwell, 11 June 1835

Letter from Dixwell Lathrop to John Rockwell, 11 June 1835
In Chicago, as in much of the Northwest Territory, the division of the land into lots for sale led to feverish land speculation. In 1835, John Rockwell commissioned Dixwell Lathrop to purchase land in the city as an investment. In this letter to Rockwell, Lathrop discusses the auctions of lots in Chicago. He is unimpressed by the town, and the price of $155 per square foot for water lots strikes him as "crazy." He announces that he will probably "bring your money home with me."