Duck Club for sale - only $35K

[Frank Srebro]

I'm reviewing old American Fields for something in the works and came across this advert from 1907 .…. "the way it was".

$35,000/1288 owned acres = $27.17 per acre

Click once or twice on pic to expand.

[Mills Morrison]

That is cool. That was probably a lot of money back then, though

[Rick Losey]

That is cool. That was probably a lot of money back then, though

"The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year."

http://www.orangepower.com/threads/life-in-1910-100-years-ago.96681/

[George M. Purtill]

Who owns it now?

[Victor Wasylyna]

Who owns it now?

It appears that Crane Lake Preserve and several other private duck clubs became the Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area in Illinois.

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/publications/Documents/00000578.pdf

Looks like some nice public hunting.

-Victor

[John Dallas]

A friend of mine's grandfather bought a 500 acre marsh near Windsor, Canada about a hundred years ago. I don't know what he paid for it, but I suspect it's worth something in the 7 digit range. I've been spoiled by the shooting there for the last 30 years. Starting to get ready for this season

[Rick Losey]

Who owns it now?

interesting question- It doesn't show up in a search. there seems to have been a great many clubs in the area
http://www.museum.state.il.us/RiverWeb/harvesting/harvest/waterfowl/industry/sport_hunting.html

the 1891 map shows no large holding around the lake
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/1599118/Lynchburg+Township++Snicarte++Sangamon+River++Spri ng+Lake++Crane+Lake/Mason+County+1891/Illinois/


there is a Crane Lake Club road on the south side - still a game club there, but the ad references a marsh, and the south shore looks to be uplands topography

and there is a large state game area on the north side, the website for that says it was formed by the purchase of several private duck hunting clubs
https://stateparks.com/sanganois.html

There is a book "The Last Market Hunter" about a guy who once poached the private clubs in the area - wonder if that mentions the club

[Craig Larter]

Is it Will Rogers who said buy land there not making any more. We bought our 1400 acre marsh in 1986 for $280. Per acre. The USF&W just purchased the 800 acres next to us for $3500. Per acre.