Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-26
The Fort Ripley Reservation.

Ao EOTt hlpIey htScFVatlOn
From tho Congressional Record Dec. II, 1873
Mr.. Washburn, from the Committee on Pub.
lie Lands, reported back with amendments the
bill III. R. No. 1859 10 restore to he public
domain part Of the military reservation
known as the Fort Ripley reservation, in the
State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.
The bill was read US follows:
Be It enacted, &c., That the Secretary of
War be, and he is hereby. authorized and re-
quired to turn over to the Department Of the
Interior all of the military reservation known
as the Fort Ripley reservation, in the State
of Minnesota, except the following described
tracts Of land d. dguated in executive order
dated August 2, A. D. 1875, to wit: The
south half fsof the southwest quarter and the
south half of the:sout beast quarter of section
6, lot l, in section S, the north half Of section
: Z and the north half uf the southwest quarter
and the moth halfof the southeast quarter of
section 7, and lot 1, in section 8, in township
l3l, Of range 20.
part of said Fort Ripley reservation hereby
required to be turned over to the Secretary of
the Interior shall Ue subject to entry by avtu
al settlers under the presumption and home
stead laws rs minimum lands, Of the rate Of
$l.25 per acre from and after..he passage OF
this act The rights Of I'LL actual settlers en-
titled to the benefits of the emption OF
homestead lnws who now occupy said lands
shall date from the day Of their actual settle.
ment thereon; and in perfecting their titles
thereto under the homestead or pre- ,,tion
! laws tho time such settlers have occupied and
improved their said lands shall be allowed.
SEC. 3. All acts and parts of acts incon
sistent with the provisions of this act are
hereby repealed, and this uc.. shall take effec,
and be in force from and after its passage.
The amendments reported from the
Committee on Public Lands were as fol.
lows:
Add to section of the bill the following:
And strip or tract of land fifty feet in
width from the center Of the raiIro,d track on
each side Of the said track Of the Wester,
Railroad Company Of Minnesota, as the said
track is located and construc'ed, being dis.
tance Of about fifteen miles acr:ss said r. ser.
vation on the east side Of the Mississippi, to.
gether with u tract Of land fifteen hundred feet
IN length and three hundred feet in width fo,
depot and station purposes at the present To-
cation Of the Fort Ripley side track, the same
being for right Of way Of said rairoad as here.
! tofvre granted by acts If Congress in the years
1857 and 1865, and ~hich is hereby granted
for that purpose.
Also add TO section the following:
Provided, That "ll persons who purchased
! aud paid tor any of sad lands nj the sale au-
thorized by the War Department in 1857, and
and paid therefor the minilun price of 81 3
pr acre, shall be entitled to patents for tie
sam" without further payments
Mr.. Washburn. ask that the Clerk
now read the joint resolution of the Leg
islature of Minnesota on this subject.
The Clerk read as follows:
J"'nt resolution asking Congress to pass an
act authorizing the lands IF the Fort Rip
ley reservation to be entered under the pre-
e"ption and homestead laws.
lie 1t resolced by the Leyirl"ture of the State
y M'""es"ta, That whereas many persons
have settled upon and opened farms IN the
military reservation Of Fort Ripley in this
State with the expectation that they would
be enabled to secure the title to snid Iands in the
same manner as the titles are secured by SET
tiers en- other public lunds of the United
States and
Whereas the said military reservation is no
longer used by the Huve: nment of the United
States for military purposes and
Whereas the plan that is now being carried
out, Of apprasi"g and selling said lands in
accordance Herewith, will do, it cunsumna,ed.
grvat injustice to all who have settled upou
said lanus herefore
lie 1t re'ot0ed BY the Legislature Of the Stote
'3 M'""esota, That Gu, Senators and keure.
S'nta,ives Ia Congre.s be, and ars hereby. re.
quested to secure it possible tue passage of 40
act ny Congress authorizing the settlement Of
the lands of said reservation under the nr..
mpti"n aud homestead laws with full and
complete pro'ec,i"n for those who are At this
lime do"a J7de settlers thereon.
Approved March !, 1878.
L. A. GILMAN,
Speaker Of the House Of Rrpresc natives.
J.B. WAKEFIELD.
President of the Senate.
Mr. Washburn. l ask also that the
Clerk read the report of the sub-commit.
tee, together with the action Of the full
committee on the subject.
The Clerk read as follows:
The undersigned subcommittee, tc whom
was referred House bill, No. 1853 with refer
cnce t" restoring to the public domain part
If The military reservation known as The Fort
';pley reservation, in the State Of NJ nnesota,
"ave had the same under consideration, and
lind that the tract of land referred to was re-
served for this purpose IN lS4s that, in point
IT fact, the portion Of the reese, vation on the
"st side Of the river, and included in the bin
eferred to, has never been used for military
:'urpo<'s or in connection with tho military
post, which is Ioca,ed On the west side of the
Mississippi River, and not embraced in the
provisions Of this bill. As long ayo rs 1872,
February "a, the Secretary of War, in a com.
munication to the House of Representatives,
named this reservation rs one 'proper to
ne abandoned" and to be disposed of witbou,
injury to II e public service. BY an act o.
I' 'ngress. approved Februa,, %, 1873, pro.
vision was made for the sale of tho land in
his reservation, and sut'sequ, ntIy q commits.
sion was created to appraise the lands and the
secretary of war authorized to sell the same.
4 board of commissioners was appointed, but
has done nothing in the premises.
During the long time that has intervened
many settlers have gone upon the reservation
and made Improvements in the constant expect
1ati"n that tfe lands would be in some way
brought into market. Under the broad and
liberal terms Of the various pre-emption and
homestead laws that have been enacted by
Congress the entire public domain in the State
uf Minnesota, except certain military and In
dian reservations, has beeu brought wi; hin
the scope aud q operation Of these enactments
and y"ur committee SEE no govd reason Why
the provisions of these acts. should not apply
to the lands embraced in this reservation,
especially as the lands are not more valuable
than The lands generally in Minnesota, except
what value may have been added by the i'm
pruvements Of the settlers.