Leonidas Merritt

Title: Large Sale of Land on the Range
Type: Newspaper
Date: April 8, 1890
Source: Duluth Evening Herald

Description: Merritt appears in this article as a buyer of state lands that were sold by auction in Duluth.
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Activities:

1. Why do you think there was such a demand for state lands when these went up for auction?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: State lands were often sold at a less expensive rate than other lands, and many people were eager to have the opportunity to get in on land that could be very profitablein the mining business.
2. The headline of this article suggests that the money raised in the sale of these lands will benefit other state services. What state service is going to be getting the money from these sales?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The money was going to be used to fund and support schools in the state.
3. What can we assume about Lon Merritt from the information provided in this article?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: From this article, we can see that Merritt bought more sections of land than any of the other bidders, and some of the prices he paid for that land were higher than the prices paid by others. Either the land itself was exceptionally good, or he was successful enough by this time to be able to outbid the others.
4. Why do you think that the State Auditor decided he could make more money by NOT selling the Grassy Point lands?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: It's possible that the prices being named for the other lands were lower than he had wanted and he might suspect that he couldget more money for the land at a later date. In the meantime, the state might have some use for those lands that could make more money for the state or that would help them sell at a higher price in the future.