The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-05-07
NUMBER 10.
IMMIGRANTS.
Letter OF Information from Commissioner
Wilson, OF the Land Office.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIo

Wilson, OF the Land Office.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, !
GENERAL LAND OFFICE, Apr. II, SO.
Mr.. II. LEITHoFF, Providence, X. l.:
! SIR: In regard to your inquiry OF
the 23d ultimo Tin Germany about the
best locality 10 obtain lands for your
self and number of families expected
/ from Germany in the spring. ] have to
state that the question of locality is one
depending so much on individual pref
erence, and the various objects that diff
ierent persons have in view, that it is
no easy matter to answer such an in
! quiry.
If the object is to obtain Government
| land under homestead or presumption
/ laws. the choice may be made in any of
| tie States or Territories from the Mis-
souri, river to the Pacific ocean, with
the understanding that west of the set
tied portions of Kansas and Nebraska
the Indians may BE- troublesome to a
small community, while a settlement
of several hundred pei sons located to-
gether, supplied with arms and ammu-
milton, could protect itself securely
against these nOmadic occupants.
The example of the MOrmons in the
valley of Salt Lake shows what may be
accomplished in the most unpromising
of the mountain Territories by COM
pact colonies capable of rendering mu-
tual assistance, and possessing within
themselves persons skilled in the va
rious handicrafts that make up the in
dustry of society.
From a colony of $50 individuals they
have increased in twenty years to over
100000, possessing over 100 fiourishing
towns and villages, more than 100 miles
of irrigating canal, Touring mills, saw
mills, cotton and wooden mills, fur
naces, FORCES, foundries, tanneries, and
other manufacturing establishments
large numbers of horses and cattle, the
fines bI eeds of sheep and hogs, with
orchards of choice apples, peacht and
pears, furnishing large quantities of
dried fruits TO the mining settlements
around them.
The success of these settlements has
hardly been surpassed in the most IA
vOred portions of the United States,
but there are other sections of country
in the mountain Territories more favor
able for planting colonies than the val
ley of Salt Lake was twenty years ago.
Some parts of southern Idaho, of north
eastern Oregon and the southeastern
part of Washington Territory, with the
southern portions of New Mexico and
Arizona, contain large bodies of unoc-
cupied lands as fertile as any in Utah,
with advantages in other respects supe-
TiOr to those in that Territory.
Portions of Nevada and California
are in the same condition. The valleys
of the Colorado, of the Rio Virgin and
its branches, in the southeastern part of
Nevada, are represented as very supe-
rior, furnishing an amount of good
land sufficient to accommodate large
settlement, and but partially occupied
at the present time. The soil and eli
mate of these valleys are well adapted
TO corn and cotton, considerable guam
titles of the latter having been raised
during the last few years by settlers al
ready there. Being at the head of nav.
igation on the Colorado river, this point
presents opportunities for settlements
which are only beginning to be proper
~ appreciated, and when the mineral re-
sources of Nye county are developed to
their full extent, as they are certain to
be at no distant day, there will be few
localities in the mineral domain sur
passing i'll advantages this portion of
Nevada.
These lands are for the most part I'M
surveyed, but settlements may be made
upon them at any time and after they
are surveyed by the Government the
settlers may enter them under the pre-
emptiOn or homestead law.
In Kansas, Nebraska, California,
western Oregon, and the western part
of Washington Territory, lands already
surveyed may be entered under these
laws; and in Dakota first class lands,
either surveyed or unsurveyed, may be
settled upon; and some of the valleys
of Wyoming are represented as exceed
ingIy fertile aud affording great induce
ments for agricultural settlements.
In Kansas and Nebraska large bod
les of land can be obtained convenient
to settlements already established, and
the same is true in a measure of certain
portions of Colorado.
For stock raising ard wool growing
the mountain valleys and slopes offer
great inducements. and where the val
leys are large and the supply of water
for irrigation sufficient, their value for
agricultural purposes is unsurpassed,
being almost invariably of very high
fertility, producing the cereals, fruits
and vegetables in great abundance; and
being situated in mountain region,
covering an area of more than mill
ion square miles, destined for genera
tons to be the scene of active mining
operations, furnishing employment to a
numerous population; the arabic lands
forming a conn ara:iyeiy small part of
the aggregate surface, the markets for
farm products must remain good, and
the prices received generally better
than those paid to producers in locali-
ties where the arabic lands constitute
a larger proportion of the whole.
The climate of this elevated region
has been found remarkably healthy,
the atmosphere being dry and pure,
and the water furnished by the mount,
ain springs and streams cool and re-
freshing. Few epidemic diseases pre-
vail.
All kinds of stock thrive well, but
the dry atmosphere and sioping hill
sides constitute this the finest portion
of the United States for sheep husband
~ and for raising the Cashmere goat.
For the cultivation of the grape, no
part of the world can surpass the belt
of country extending from the Rio
Grande to the Pacific ocean, and cover
ing the Territories of New Mexico and
Arizona and the State of California to
the Oregon boundary. For excellent
farming and grazing lands in mild
climate, perhaps few sections of the
country present a greater number of
inducements than Southern Kansas, in
Ahe valleys of the Neosho and its
branches, and some of the affiuents3of
the Arkansas.
To determine upon a suitable loeali-
ty for the settlement of q colony is an
important point, and the better way
would seem to be to send an intelligent
agent over the Western country, charged
with the duty of personally inyestiget-
| ing the advantages of each particular
section. Land Offices exist at conven-
lent points throughout the pubilc do
| main, where information may be OBJ
tanned as to the lands entered or sold,
and those subject to entry or sale, the
respective location of which will be
seen by the list at the end of the in-
closed circular.