The Landowner a Journal of Real Estate Vol II No. 12 December

Rare real estate journal of Chicago published shortly before the Great Fire.

This scarce Chicago real estate circular, ‘Devoted to Landed Interests, Building and Improvement’, was published locally by John M. Wing & Company in December of 1870 – less than a year before much of the city’s downtown and north side were wiped out by the Great Fire. The contents provide a fascinating look into the Windy City’s volatile real estate market during a period of significant development and speculation.

Numerous contemporary advertisements and an extensive directory highlight the plethora of agents in operation, both within Chicago and elsewhere. Maps by Rufus Blanchard, brokerage firms, railroad companies, and building contractors are among the varied related interests also promoted throughout the journal. Notable entries, as outlined in the Table of Contents on the front cover, include an illustration on roads and road-making, a glossary of architectural terms, a map of Elkhart, Indiana, several interesting editorials, and a promotional for the 1871 editions of the publication, billed as ‘The Medium for Land Advertising’.

Wing’s office, located at the corner of Monroe and Dearborn Streets, was consumed by the Chicago Fire of 1871. While the sale of The Land Owner (first issued July 1869) was temporarily halted, it would resume publication later in the year and continue intermittently into 1877. Surviving examples of any issue are uncommon on the market, with known archives (completeness unconfirmed) at less than a dozen institutions, the majority of which are in Illinois and the Chicago area. OCLC# 15718322