Russell L Tracy Co Salt Lake City 1906 Land Valuation Letter Loans & Investments For Sale

This original business correspondence from The Russell L. Tracy Co., dated December 28, 1906, offers a detailed snapshot of early 20th-century Western land speculation and financial practices. The letterhead identifies the Salt Lake City-based firm as specialists in Loans and Investments, prominently featuring its twenty-one years of operation without loss to any one purchasing our securities since its 1884 establishment and 1902 incorporation. Addressed to Mr. Alfred Bowditch at #28 State Street in Boston, Massachusetts, the handwritten content reveals a transcontinental business relationship concerning property valuation in what appears to be the developing Intermountain West. The letter\'s substantive content details manager Russell L. Tracy\'s referral of the matter to Mr. F.J. Leonard of the Capital Real Estate Investment Co., who provided preliminary assessments of land values ranging between $200 and $300 per acre while noting the need for a physical inspection due to topographical concerns affecting certain lots. The document serves as a significant artifact of commercial epistolary culture during the Progressive Era, embodying the formal business correspondence standards of the period with its precise dating, clear company identification, and directorial listing. The handwritten notation (TtoB) in the lower left corner suggests internal filing practices, while the detailed discussion of per-acre valuation provides concrete economic data for historical researchers studying Western land development patterns. The geographical connection between Boston capital and Utah real estate illustrates the flow of Eastern investment into Western expansion during this period, with Salt Lake City serving as a crucial financial hub for the region. The letter\'s survival offers researchers of business history, economic development, and regional studies a primary source document capturing the vernacular of early 1900s financial negotiations and the practical challenges of remote property assessment before modern communication technologies.