The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-02-24
THE STATE LANDS.

The Auditor of State Shows their Presen:
Condition and Some Suggestions and Recon-
mendations as to Their Future.
From the Forthcoming report of the
auditor of state, the following in re-
gard to the condition of the public
land will be of interest at this time;
SCHOOL LANDS.
Once eighteenth of all the lands il,
the State-nearly 100000 acres--was
set apart by the general government
:" for the use of Schools but as only
one-half of the entire area Of the State
is available for agricultural purposes,
there is not more than 100000 acres
of school land situated within the
limits of what is recognized as the
habitable parts of the State. One
million two hundred and seventy
thousand acres of this land have been
appraised, and. 100000 have been sold.
There are eight agricultural counties,
viz: Big Stone, Kittson, Lac qui Parle,
Lincoln, Murray, Pipestone, Traverse
and Yellow Medicine, containing
about 100000 acres Of school land, no
part Of which has been appraised OF
sold. About two-ifths of the unin-
habited portion, or one-ffth Of the
whole state, is still u1surveyed, and
more than One-ffth of the timbered
region, or the equivalent of one-tentil
OF all the land in the State is now
occupied by Indian reservations. It
is impossible to make even ar approx
innate estimate of the value of the
school land in the unsettled district.
The explorations for pine timber thus
far made have included about 114,O00
acres. About $4,000 acres of the land
examined were found more or less
valuable for timber. The total sales
of timber from this land amount to
1878, 1000, and the value Of the timber
remaining thereon is estimated at
ELI 1000, but when cut will probably
bring double this amount. The sales
of timber have been limited to the
region on the St. Croix and Mississippi
rivers and til eli tributaries.
By act OF Congress of February 90.
1859, the State became entitled to in
demnity for sections sixteen and thirty.
six in each township, in consequence
of reservations, prescriptions and
from natural causes. Selections were
made some years since for Deficiencies
in the old surveys, including the set
tied portions of the State. During the
last two years the plats of all the sur
veys have been examined and lists of
deficiencies made. The examinations
show deficiencies to the amount of
237, 5l1 acres, the selections made
amount to l24, 807 acres, leaving 212,-
GA acres to be selected mostly in the
timbered land districts. A full years
labor has heen expended on these
. lists they have just been completed,
and the examinations for selection
have commenced.
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND UNI
yERsITY LAND.
AS the proceeds of these lands con-
stitute one fund, they may be classed
together. Under the agricultural
college grant, "a, 439 acres were select
ed, and 72,70S acres were selected I'M
der the two university grants, a total
of 167, 147 acres for the benefit of the
p State university; l4,774 acres of the
first grant to the university were dis
posed of by the regents at an early
day, and the proceeds used to defray-
ing sundry expenses, so that only
about 100000 acres actually became
available for the university. About
one-half of this quantity has been
sold, as shown in the several tabular
statements referring to these lands.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT LAND.
There have been 37,455 acres of
these lands sold during the last two
years, and the total sales now amount
to 5000 acres leaving $4,000 acres
of the grant unsold, of which 350,9S3
acres have been examined and ap-
praised. The proceeds Of land and
timber sold with ACQUIRED interest
amount to 1921, 744, and the appraised
value Of the land that has been ex-
amined is SSl,S0S,O0O. Estimating the
unappraised land at SIS per acre the
present value of the entire grant in
round numbers is $$2,750,000.
THE PUBLIC BUILDING LAND.
Under the act Of Congress author
tzing our State government, we re.
ceived ten sections of land ''for tho
completion and erection Of public
buildings,' which. were selected in
Kandiyohi county. Provision should
be made for their sale and for the in
'eSCment OF the proceeds until the
money may be needed in the erection
of capitol building.
STATE SWAMP LAND. -...
The grants made prior to the resid-
uary grant for the benefit of soldiers
orphans amounted to 2,120,366 acres,
of which 1904 66 acres were earned
and l,O52,294 acres have been convey
ed, leaving 242, 526 acres still due, from
which must be deducted 5,426 acres
earned on the Madelia and Sioux Falls
road, but not found in place, making
the actual amount required to satisfy
the grants earned 237, 526 acres. Of
this amount 100,695 acres is due the
Lake Superior and Mississippi railroad
company, but the State claims an offset
of 1922 acres on account Of swamp
land enormously conveyed by the
general government on it's COMPRESSION.
al grant, which, if allowed, will reduce
the amount due the company to 52,47l
acres. Selections of 3S,l26 acres for
the Taylor's Falls branch have been
made in ranges II to IS north OF
Duluth, leaving 81, 474 acres still due
on the grant. There are also Al, 24l