Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-08-13
Settlers on State Lands.

!
To be continued VI
Settlers on State Lands:
The following letter written by the
officers of the St. Cloud land office to the
Pioneer Press, treats of a class of cases
of which most of the interested parties
reside in this county, we believe. These
cases have been referred to at some length
in The Transcript recently, and the fol-
lowing letter will be read with considera-
BILE interest.
To the Editor of the Pioneer Press:
In your issue of yesterday appeared an
article, under the caption of State Land
Trespasses, III which reflections were
made upon this office, and pretty directly
upon the present officers. This article
purports to be based upon information
received from Mr. W. P. Jewett, a special
agent of the executive department. AS
Mr. Jewett, when here was shown all the
books and records of our Office relating
to these matters, and then expressed him.
self as satisfied that, wherever the blame
belonged, it did not in any wise attach to
us, it would appear as though he must
either have given the facts incorrectly,
or else given 50 little that your reporter
felt compelled TO draw literally upon an
exuberant imagination in order to supply
the deficiency. sNaving given anything
at all to the press; Mr.. Jewett should, in
fairness, have given fully such informa-
ticn as was in his possession.
1t is stated that transcripts of trans
fers OF lands to the State Of Minnesota
were quickly pigeon-holed among the
dusky archives of the Office" 1t is true
that number Of Isis of swamp lands
certified to the State have been received
at this Office which were not entered
upon the tract books or marked on the
plats; but it isfurther true that they were
received many years before we entered
upon the duties Of our present positions
Why they were not marked up we can
not say; and we knew nothing of the
failure to do SO until within the past few
weeks, when it was discovered that set
tiers had been permitted to enter State
lands For this we are in no wise re-
sponsible. All lists received since we
have been in charge of the Office have
been promptly marked up.
But it is to the following paragraph
that we desire to call especial attention,
and which is the occasion of this commu-
nication, as it refers to what is recent:
"As an illustration of the extent of this
| grievance, it may be remarked that a slight
examination of the St. Cloud land Office brings
to light nine new cases where it is found that
settlers are occupying State lands and some of
them don't know it now, but imagine that
they are the owners Of their lands, when the
building their houses upon land that belongs
to the State, the title of the State having long
since been duly perfected and recorded at the
capitol in St. Paul, but through the willful-
ness, ignorance or crookedness of the land
officials, has not been entered upon the books
and plats at their respective Offices"
There are but eight Of these "new
cases. and they are as follows: .,
Frank y. Foster, II. D. S. No. 95, fled Au-
sust 2, 1875; II. W. No. 1880, entered
April 2, 1879; sec. 1s, T. 129, r. 30.
George NJ. Dow; H. No. lo,392 entered
April s, 1879; sec. %, I. 1879, R. 80.
There is no mark or entry on the plats
or tract books to show that these are not
1 government lands subject to homestead
orspre-emption settlement by any person
legally qualified to make application for
them. Upon examination, however, Of a
list of lands selected as inuring to the
State of Minnesota, November 80, 1861
nearly twenty years before the present
officers entered upon their duties-we
find that one-half of each of these home
, steads was certified to the State; but for
, some reason, to us unknown, the selec.
line, as were number of of,others-wheth.
er at this Office of before being received
here, we cannot say. -:
Preston u. Curtiss Fl. No. 1908, entered
October 9, 1879; SEQ. 30. T. II, R. 81. T.,
VIM. Batters, H. No. 1o,423, entered April
, "a, 1879 sec. 26, T. Al, K. 81. :.
!, Henry Deranleau, H. No. 10, ,es7, entered
September %, 1879; sec. 4, 7. Al, R. 81. :
Wm.s H. McCauley, H. lO,730, entered July
20, 1879; sec. 80, T. Al, 4. 81. a..
Royal H Curtis, Il. No. 1863, entered Sep
t tember 19, 1879; sec. 20, T. Al, R. 81. d
/ Chas. E. Adams. II. No. IL, $685. entered Au.
: gust 2, 1879; sec. 8, T. 80. r. 81. /. ~
| AS regards these six entries, there is nc
t list or anything whatever in this office
7 to show that the lands so taken were evel
!. selected by the State, or that they were
not subject to homestead or pre-emptioI
settlement. tEs*s @.Es@2ss 'tfissts9'<4ss
ri AS all the approved lists, those upon
(which the title of the State is perfected,
received at this Office have been duly en-
+ tered up and are now on file here in. con.
s j secut1ve numbers, and as none Of the land
i Included in the foregoing eight entries
] appears IN any Of these lists, it isexceed
Z ingly difficult to understand how the re-
$ cords at the capitol show q perfected ii
Itle'' by the State, as is claimed in tht
I statement quo1ed above. In fact, it is i'm
t possible that it can be SO.
e In view of the facts just stated-ol
Z which Mr. JeWett at least was fully in
formed, having taken a full memoran
4 dun while hereit is not necessary te
b say anything il relation TO the gratui
g tous personal reflections INDUCED in b
Z your reporter 1t may not be out Of plac.
g Ito. add that as soon as Wesbecame awarl
fof the invalidity Of these entries, we q
q once wrote Gov. illsbury asking him e
4 do lust what ii appears he has done, ant