Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1904 — To Revive the Dwiggins Boom Town [ARTICLE]

To Revive the Dwiggins Boom Town

The historic town of Griffith in Lake county, is again coming into public notice. It is in Lake county, about five miles east of Dyer. It is the place which Elmer and Jay Dwiggins boomed so mightily in the. days of their prosperity, about 12 or 15 years ag<-. They laid out avast tiact int) town lots, secured the location of a few wildcat factories, opened a gilt edged office in Chicago, advertised in all magazines in the country, and then watched the money come in. But the Griffith boom busted, along with hundreds of similar booms, the town went down, and but little is now left of it. Steps have been taken to incorporate the little village into a town with a population of about three hundred. There are but few places in the north end of the state with better railway facilities, and this'fact with the rumor that the Michigan Central intends to establish yards there has encouraged a Hammond firm to take the preliminary steps to inoorporaie that village into a town. There will be aboout 300 people within the incorporated limits if they succeed in the undertaking. There are six railroads entering the little place now and the railraad tax is $30,000 a mile. That alone will swell the

town purse without adding any special assessment for town purposes.