Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-10-30
REPORT OF COM N ISsIONER ON sE.
LECTION OF FAGRICULTURALC COL.
LEGE LANDS. .s1a aG sT...

a a. ...f .1 Goscraor Of the State IF Istca.
b SIR: i have the honor to transmit, here.
with, my report rs Commissioner on the Sc.
lection and location Of the 100000 acres of
land, donated by the General Government to
the State of Iowa, "for Colleges for the ben
eft OF Agriculture and Mechanic Arts" by
Act of Congress, approved July I'd, 1862.
Under the Authority of your Commission,
dated September %, 1869, and in pursuance
OF the Act of the General Assembly of Iowa,
approved September 1lth, 1852, accepting
the trust Of the College lands and providing
for their selection, have made the selections
named in the accompanying list and have
filed parts of the list, by copy, in the Offices
of the Registers of the land Districts in
which the tracts are respectively located.
| have considered it proper to include in
my report some descriptions Of the laud Dis.
tricts, and o. the counties where the lands
are situated, believing that such information
Of general character will be as useful to the
Trustees and agents Of the College, for refer
encc, rs well rs the maps, plat books, and
field notes, intended more particularly for
their use. %F a@ @sf p I&"s- @
On receiving your Commission, October
3D., 1862, hesitated to accept it on account
OF the responsibility Of such a trust and it
was with reluctance, after consulting with
some Of my fellow trustees Of the College, that
/ consented to assume the duties and labors
involved. But my interest in the welfare of
the College, and my desire to see it success.
fully established, rs well as my wish to see
the agricultural interests of the State promo.
ted, Induced me to undertake the selection OF
the lands. -r ..s.. a. .... .-.,
As the General Government has, at last,
ir this matter, encouraged the promotion of
intellectual, scientific, and agricultural i'm.
provement combined, by the donation of such
a valuable legacy, feel more than ever the
necessity OF prompt aud decisive action on
the parto the Board of Trustees, to do all in
their power to advance agriculture in our
State, and contribute to make agricultural
education the wstchword Of the age, for ag.
ricuture is the embodiment Of ell the phys.
ical sciences. The whole history Of the pros.
perity OF our country, whether general or
sectional, social or political, demonstrates the
assertion that not to soil or climate, to sea or
land, to zone or temperature, are We indebt.
cd for the wonderful display of genius and
skill, but to the eleyating influence Of cduca.
ted labor. Hence will say, in the words of
. living writer, Let Il be ours to give to the
farmer, the tiller of the soil, amid all his Ia.
bors, well furnished, well disciplined mind /;
ours to open for this purpose all over our
land the portals OF science, to pluck the flow
ers that bedeck the field Of literature, or gar.
ner stores from the mine Of thought which
he may there explore; that when he goes
abroad he may go to bless mankind. Let it
be ours, in fine, to educate the whole man
physically, intellectually, and morally. Then
may we expect that the earth will again bloom
as Eden, and the greatness of America shall
know no limited zenith, and fear no tendency
to decline" And will add, let it be ours
to lead the van among the Northwestern
States. We are in advance Of any State OF
our age, and Of many older ones, in the
means to do so. No have provided for the
literary culture Of our youth. Let us then
have well endowed Agricultural College, to
prepare the young men for understanding as
farmers, the natural elements with which
they are TO deal, aud FOR producing and ap.
plying the artificial elements for the improve
ment Of the soil. The time has come for us
to enter upon the advancement of this great.
est OF all interests in our young State; and
in view of its great importance, I feel it to
be my duty to respond to your wish and help
move the car of progress in this great work.
In the field work, requiring journeys
through twenty.cight counties, labored un-
der many disadvantages. You are aware
that it was my wish TO engage sufficient
number OF assistants to complete the work
thoroughly before the winter season com.
menced; and you are also aware Of the cir
cumstances that prevented me from having
more than one assistant. The distance trav-
eled in the field work was over thousand
miles, and lands have been selected in twen.
ty-two counties. 0.....
II was ascertained that there were about
5000, 900 acres of vacant lands remaining in
the State, two-thirds Of which were in the
Sioux City District, comprising all the coun-
ties north Of Township S5 and west of Range
93. X required some days to prepare the
necessary maps aud pats for reference, and
was ready to commence the examination OF
lands about the first Of November. It soon
became apparent that the land spsculations
of few years since had reached, in various
directions, from the settlements along the
rivers, and that large part of the timber
had been entered, together with considerable
portions of the adjacent prairie. Under
these circumstances adopted the policy of
selecting good lands only, even if they were
SO far from timber as to be slightly depreci.
ated at present below the minimum Of the
government price. | considered it expedi.
cnt also, confirmed by the opinion of several
OF the College Trustees, to select about co.
coo acres within the six mile limits Of the
Land Grant Railroads--the Dubuque and
Sioux City, and the Cedar Rapids and Mis-
souri, River railroads. For convenience these
will be designated as railroad lands, and as
they are taken at the maximum price it re.
duces the the aggregate to about 200 coo
acres. 1t is believed, however, that by the
extension of these roads this class Of lands
will becoms quito as remuneratiye to the
College fund, as any of the lands selected at
the minimum price. In the selections have
kept in view the adoption Of the lands to ag-
ricultural purposes. especially for grain grow
ing and stock raising; also the probable
points Of market when the country becomes
settled, and generally Their location near the
line Of roads as well as probable towns; and
in the railroad lands, in most instances, their
position in reference to probable stations, or
on roads leading through or near them to
raNroad uepotS.
After traversng the Sioux City, Des Moines,
and Fort Dodge Districts in more than thirty
counties. including the region on both forks
OF the Des Moines over eighty miles above
Fort Dodge, reviewed tho preliminary list
prepared on the q veral routes, and made
the selections in tho counties hereinafter
named the lands being indicated in the list,
described in the plat books, and also marked
on the accompanying maps of the land dis
tricts. The selections were made in rs large
bodies as practicable in good localities, with
a view to encourage settlement in neighbor-
hood colonies, and also for the convenience Of
moro careful examinations If found to be
necessary, and for the better management Of
the agency that may be required in disposing
of the lands. The limited time did not per.
nit me to examine every tract personally,
but wherever lands have been selected refer.
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