Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-01-09
SETTLING ON PUBLIC LANDS.


l. The larger portion of the unim-
proved, uncul.ivated soil of the Uni
ted States, including nearly all of
that of the States Of Nebraska, Ne
vada, and Oregon, as also of all the
territories, is still the property OF the
Federal Union, and is known as the
Public Domain.
2. While much of the domain is
sterile, rocky, mountainous, and thus
unfit for cultivation, large proper
ton is fertile and excellent, including
thousands of square miles which, be-
ing treeless and very thinly erased,
have been accounted desert, but
which prove quite productive when
reclaimed by irrigation.
3. AS a general rule, any part of
this domain not already granted to
or occupied'by private owners,is open
to settlement by any one. He who
"squats" on tract to which he has
no title, is regarded as holding it by
preemption. He is of course liable to
be, but seldom is, dispossessed by a
bona Jide purchaser.
4. The Government proifers a
quarter section (160 acres) to any
one who settles upon tract to which
no adverse title or claim exists, erects
a habitation, and lives on it for five
years. He has to pay for the papers
and legal formalities requiring about
$40 10 ALL This is called making q
homestead.
5. Congress has from time to time
made extensive grants of land to
states and companies in aid Of the
construction of railroads through the
public domain. These grants are US
ually Of alternate sections Cor square
miles) for certain distance on either
side of the projected railroad.
6. The alternate sections reserved
by the Government are doubled in
price and he who settles on these
and proceeds to acquire home I'M
der the Homestead act is allowed but
eighty instead of the usual one hun
dred and sixty acres.
Z. The general price Of the public
is $l.25 per acre, or 5000 for 100
acres. Government along the lines
of railroads are held at double price
or 81 90 per acre.
8. The railroad companies general
ly charge more for their alternate
sections but as the Governments
land is held at $3.50 per acre, and
eighty acres of it may be acquired by
settlement for less than $40, the Gov
ernment's sections are likely to have
the preference.
8. 1t is decidedly advisable that
those who have means should buy
their lands, either of the Government
or of the railroads. 1t precludes ali
controversery as to the due perfor-
nance of the Homestead requires
ments, gives an instant and perfect
title, and enables the owner to sell
and convey, go and come, lease or
rent, without peril of creating an ad-
verse title, or ipvalidating his own.
10. No one can legally locate,
whether with cash or script,
quarter section actually in the pos
SOoaiOh3 W iOSei COCUp @hOJ anu AOoi-
dence, of settler, though he has not
paid and does not mean to pay for it.
But this principle does not apply to
the alternate sections granted to rail-
roads, which do not recognize pre-
emptions
II. A quarter. section of public
lands is not necessarily regular
quarter Of some designated section,
but may be made up Of two eight or
four forties forming one compact
body, these were parts Of different
quarter.sections technically oonsid-
cred.
Such is the substance of the laws
and regulations governing the acqui-
sition of public lands by individuals,
as we understand them. We trust
this compilation answers most Of the
questions addressed to us whereto we
are unable to give special replies
Cincinnati Times.