The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-05-11
THE NOR1HERN PACIFJ
Montana LanAD. Withdrawn from The
Market /.

| THE NOR1HERN PAClFC
Montana LanAss Withlrawa from the
| K. xarkek .
On the date of our last issue, when Col.
Roberts letter was published, which, If not
ambiguous, was at least not eniirriy clear
to those not informedO ON engineering phrases,
the following letter was received by the
Land officers at Helena:
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR,
GENERAL LAND OrYIcE,
WASHINGTON. D. c., April ~, lS7a
Regisker and Receicer, Helena, n. T.:
GENTLENEN:-I transmit herewith dia.
gram showing the designated route If the
Northern Pacific Railroad under act Of July
I'd, 1854, and by direction of the Secretary
Of the Interior you are hereby directed to
withhold from sale ar location. pre- .emption
or homestead entry. oil the surveyed and
unsurveyed odd numbered sections of public
lands falling within the limits Of 40 miles
as designated on this map.
You will also increase in price to a. 80
per acre the even numbered sections within
those limits. and dispose of them at that
reliability, and under the pre- emption and
homestead laws only, no private entry Of
the same being admissible until these lands
have been offered Ut the increased price.
This order will take effect from tho date
of ito receipt by you, and you are requested
TO acknowledge, without delay, the time of
ito receipt:
Very respectfully, .....
WILLIS DRuxxoxD,
Commissioner.
The route as designated on the official
map, enters Montana nearly on the line of
the ~ of latitude, Themes up the Yellow>
stone. crossing the nnge into the Galla,in
north of Bozeman; crosses the valley of the
Gallstin resr Gallatin City, up the jefferson
to Big Hole, up the Big Hole to and thence
through the Deer Lodge Pass, thence down
the Deer Lodge. Hellgate and Missoula riv.
ers, thence going out of the Territory little
north of the $50 of latitude. 1t is stated
the road leaves Missoula to the southwest,
diverging from the mouth of Big Black foot.
but this is certainly an error, as such a di.
vergence is simply impracticablc under the
The transfer from the rail.
road maps TO the land office maps by draught.
men not familiar with the country, h s
OccasiOned this inaccuracv.
This settles the question raised of the
statement in the New NORTH WEST rs to
the above action of the company, and those
pre- emptors and others, who it has been
stated, were bcguiled thereby into needless
expense aud premature locations, IRE con.
themselves on having acted upon
The statement. The lands were withdrawn
May 9th. To reconcile Col. Roberts letter
with the above, it must be borne in mind
that COL Roberts is employed by the Cons
pany 10 look after its interests, and that he
would not he expected to instigatc rush for
he best lands Of the Company when all
expedition WAS being used by il tn get the
duplicate maps into the local land offices to
prevent that occurrence And further, in |
IN engineering sense. the line of the road
Though ''des'gnateu," is not yet located"
There Is locating survey yet 10 he made |
md accepted before he will consider i, |
located" and it is not impossible, by spc.
'ial act Of Congress, for devistions to he |
made even from the general route. 1t is,
however. highly improbable. The road may |
" considered practically, aud to all intents
nd purposes, located on the general line
bove designated. although the final location
f the road.bed may dcviate considerably
rom tho survey lines Of last year.
Under the charter the Railroad Company
cts in Montana all the odd numbered Sec
ions Of land in belt forty miles wide on
ach side of the railway line, escsps mineral
snds (not including irOn and conl) and
snds which Ut prior time hayc been grant.
d, sold, reserved, occupied by homestead
ettlers, pre- empted or otherwise disposed
t. Where odd numbered sections have been
hus disposed of, the Company has the
rivilege of selecting odd sections from belt
20 miles further on each side of the road.
he same privilege Is given to replace lands
'tthhelG as mineral lands. TIE Company
aus has, practically, . belt Of one half the
gricultural lands on the general route ore
undred miles wide. 1t will thus he seen it
lkes 10 nearly all the valley lands Of set.
ed Montana. The Company, interested in
sitting up it's line, will now become grea.
Association. and Montana will
e advertised to the world with the immense
nd systematic facilities and energies of that
orporstio". It heralds new era. Day by
~ the advancing railway Is unbarring to
ccess, occupation and development theg great
'terior Northwest, hitherto and now isolat.
!. The great capacities Of the country viii
scalIed into requisition, and thriftier pros
srity will set It's seal on every industry in
NJ land. .iE saiss#s#. % 81 s.f ID
1R. AVANA UG HIS RETURN.
Mr.. Csvanaugh announces IN to.day's pa
er bic intention to again enter the lists as
candidate for Delegate. and asks of the
emoc1tic rank and die . reversal Of the