The original Brush- McWilliams Co. was known as the Farm Land Mortgage Co. by Mr. McWilliams. In 1908 Mr. Brush joined McWilliams Co. and in May of that year, a new company was organized and incorporated under the laws of South Dakota.

Soon the company was operating with its chief office in Minot and the eastern branch office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The territory covered all northwest North Dakota and eastern Montana. Brush-McWilliams was among the oldest land and loan companies in the state and the volume of business in 1919 was the greatest of any company of a similar nature in this territory.

While Western Bankers’s Investment Co. was affiliated with the Brush-McWilliams Co., for the purpose of handling all the real estate business, Brush-McWilliams owned the controlling interest in the First International Bank of Minot. The officers were well-known businessmen in the area. Mr. G.W. McWilliams, president; H. E. Shearn, vice president; C.H. Mott, vice president; W.P. Cowan, treasurer; E. A. Long, secretary.

The services of this company assisted the buyer in selecting a suitable site, advised on the best class of structures to produce the greatest monetary return on the capital invested and assist in procuring loans at the lowest rate of interest.

Carl Knudsen was the construction manager and had great experience in construction work of all descriptions. Among some of his contracts in North Dakota were the new hospital in Bismarck, the courthouse in Washburn, and many other bank and office buildings.

Harry Mowbray, of Lewin & Mowbray, was the practical plumbing manager. He was licensed in the State of North Dakota. Ole Sigerseth managed the painting and decorating department. F.A. Lewis was the heating manager and Frank Munz, in the practical electrical department.

The Brush-McWilliams Co. was also instrumental in promoting farmers from Iowa and Illinois to relocate to North Dakota. The company was credited for encouraging men to purchase an immense quantity of Ward Co. land. The company set up a notable exhibit in a large tent at the Mercer County Fair in September of 1912 in Aledo, Illinois. Thousands visited the tent, listened to the various addresses on North Dakota’s resources and inspected some of the best farming products. Halvor Halvorson and G.W. McWilliams, members of the Minot company, the popular and well-known “Bob” Willets and his partner, Fred Thornhill, together with Gov. J.M. Devine of Minot, oversaw the exhibition tent.

Willets of Joy, Illinois, was one of the principal stockholders with the Western Bankers Investment Co. in Minot.

Thornhill was involved with the Minot Association of Commerce Immigration Committee that recognized the fact that more settlers were needed in northwestern North Dakota and was convinced after making a survey that this was the time launch a campaign in the interest of immigration. The slogan for this campaign was “100,000 More” and signified the intention of the Minot Association of Commerce to prepare the way for the coming of 100,000 more settlers to northwestern North Dakota. The plan was to make an intensified drive in Minot to take in the entire territory from Rugby to the Montana line and from Harvey to Canada.

At the Illinois fair, an agricultural display was excellent in every respect. Oats in the straw was shown as an actual example of a bundle thrown off by a binder, as was also that of a sheaf of wheat. The exhibit was composed of oats, wheat, flax, barley, alfalfa, clover winter rye, buckwheat, native wild grasses, timothy, with a good display of vegetables. There was a collection of farm pictures on 14×20 cards, showing the standing crops, as well as many of our farm homes, lignite coal, briquettes, and this year’s corn, both on the stalk and in the ear, which attracted the most attention. Hundreds were greatly interested, many seeking safe investments for money in land. Many of them, especially the younger men, looking for opportunities the Mouse River Loop could offer. Land prices in Illinois soared, prompting young men to purchase farm land and move to North Dakota.

E. A. Long was quoted in 1915 saying “the basic industry of this country is agriculture. Therefore, our aim should be to do whatever will tend to improve the present conditions to make farming as profitable a business as possible.” He also stated that we should strive for better wagon roads; do all in our power to secure the packing plant, thus affording a market second to none all the one for livestock as well as building canning factories.