Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-07-19


to take up a piece of land under
the homestead laws of Michigan,
his first plan is, generally, to OBJ
tain the services Of some land hunt
er, who for small money consid-
GRAFTON shows him the desirable
vacant lands, and if the intending
settler is satisfied with the location
and qualities of the land shown
him, he gets from the land hunter
a description of it, or as the writ
ten description is called, "the min
utes." The charge for this will be
about ten dollars. The settler next
proceeds to enter the land under
the homestead laws, which will cost
him five dollars more, and entities
him to eighty acres of State land.
To homestead government land will
cost few dollars more. At the
end of three months he is obliged
to make sworn affidavit to the
proper parties that he has taken
actual possession, and state what
improvements he has made on his
homestead. At the end of five
years he applies for deed of his
homestead, making affidavit to the
fict that he has made the improve
ments required by law. The State
officers then forwards the settler q
deed of his homestead.
AS soon as a person has entered
a piece Of land, his first efforts are
turned toward clearing the same,
and thus making home for him
self and family. AS a general rule
homesteaders are people without
means, for people of wealth are not
likely to undergo the hardships
and privations common to clearing
wild lands, prefering to purchase
farm already cleared, so the settler
has many disadvantages to work
against before his new farm will
provide him with living. He has
the woods to cut down and burn
up; he has houses, barns and fences
10 build, and at the same time, he
has to support himself and family
his only capital being his muscle
and indomitablc will. The conse-
luence is that the new settler can
not put all his efforts to clearing
MS land, being only able to work
lpon it when he has laid up few
months provisions, and when these
provisions are used up he is COM
oelled by necessity to leave his
arm work and 60 at something
,lse until he has got another sup
ply of provisions. There is no
'oad to his place, and the only way
lie can get to 1t is by blazed line,
which he has chopped to act as a
yuide. When he first starts ont,
lie is obliged to carry all his neces-
aries upon his back, and thus
transport them to the scene of his
abor. This load will consist of an
IKE, q pot to cook his provisions in,
small quantity of provisions,
blanket or two, and sometimes a
yun to shoot game with or to de-
end himself from wild animals.
When he arrives at his place, he
,icks out the most desirable part
hat suits him, and proceeds to
make brush tent, to sleep in dur
ng the night. The work before
lin is to cut down the trees, cut
hem into log lengths, chop off the
branches and pile them. This work
will take up all his spare time, un-
il he las cut as much as he thinks
'e can clear for the season. The
'rush tent answers admirably as
opg as the season is dry, but a wet
lay teaches him the necessity of
,aving a more substantial shelter,
o he will be obliged to leave his
york Of clearing and build a small
og hut, covered either with troughs
,r cedar bark. The first season
he settler will probably be able to
,ut down an acre or two of the
crest, leaving it until the next
eason to dry, so that il will burn
more readily; and when this is
ogged and burned, he has a small
patch ready TO plant with potatoes.
Thus the work goes on with un-
tagging energy, until at last the
settler moves his family on to his
homestead and becomes a regular
settler.
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.