Your Opportunity for a Home [Grant’s Pass, Oregon]

“Grants Pass and vicinity has the ideal conditions for an enjoyable home.”

This uncommon promotional brochure of Grant’s Pass, Oregon, was issued in 1925 by the Chicago Land Company. The deliberate association with the Windy City, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, was a clever tactic to encourage emigration and land sales. If the vague suggestions of huge profits weren’t enough, then numerous photographs and persuasive text highlight the diverse economy and perfect environment. A small map on the back panel shows the lands available for sale south of Grant’s Pass.

Apart from statistics on agricultural profitability, tales of ideal climate, and other stories of the ‘good life’ out West, two lines stick out in particular. “The District is strictly a white Anglo-Saxon Community. No foreign or colored landowners or laborers.” At the time of publication, Grant’s Pass was considered a ‘Sundown Town’ (where African-Americans were not welcome after sunset) and the Klu Klux Klan was operating with enthusiasm and widespread public support.