In 1878, George Ellsbury migrated to North Dakota and became interested in Tower's property in Cass and Barnes counties. Having become a real estate agent and believing that the area then known as Spring Tank would be a prime setting for a new town, Ellsbury contacted Tower about purchasing the site. Tower hired Ellsbury as his land agent for this area, offering him a 5% commission on all land sold to incoming farmers, and a pass for unlimited travel on the Northern Pacific. Ellsbury, a former artist for "Harper's Weekly" and "Leslie's Illustrated Magazine," turned real estate agent, was typical of the land speculators who moved to the west.