Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-10
THE DEVILS LAKE REGION.

Indignation Over the Government Policy,
which Has Since Been Revoked.
Correspondence st. Paul Daily Globe.
DEVILS LAKE, D. T. October 8, 1882
There is great excitement and indigna-
ton here at present, from the fact that the
government has just surveyed tract of
land taking in all the north shore of this
lake, ten miles wide and forty miles long,
and from appearance has taken it as a
military wood reservation and has put
down solid, permanent posts, two miles
apart, and marked them United States
Wood Reservation. What this means, what
the object is, or what the result will be, we
are all in the dark about it, and all kinds
of ideas and opinions are afloat in regard
to it; and lots of the settlers have quit
work and don't know what to do, and some
have already left, and the indignation and
excitement here at present is beyond de-
scription. Many of those settlers are al
most in despair, and if driven of, will be
Penniless, and not have dollar to get out
of the country with, and have no home or
shelter for themselves, or their stock, for
the long winter which is fast approaching.
This large tract of land is thickly settled
with very intelligent class of people,
among whom are great many Canadians.
They had plenty of hay for their stock, and
had their winter houses and stables nearly
all completed, and everything was going
on finely until this sudden blow came, and
it came like thunderbolt, and has done a
great deal of damage already, as many of
the settlers are writing to their friends to
stay at home and not come until they know
the result of this new deal, and then it will
be too late to come before winter. There
are various rumors and opinions as to who
is to blame for all this, and what the object
is. There is one general opinion prevalent
which lays the blame on certain parties
whose namesI withhold for the present. An
other opinion is that spectators are at
the bottom of it, who have concocted this
scheme to get the settlers off that they may
be able to get all the valuable land in a
short time themselves, which looks very
probable One thing is certain the govern
ment does not want this large tract Of land
for any military purpose, at least, so the
commander of the post at Fort Totten says,
they ought to have warned the settlers &C.
cordingly and not allowed them to locate
here. And, besides, the secretary of the
interiors opinion, given last May and pub
ithed all over the country, that those lands
were government lauds and that
the Indians had no title to them, encour-
aged the settlement of this country and
was an admission on the part of the gov
ornDnonf fhof II
and immigration poured in very fast after
the secretary of the interior gave that no.
tice. Under these circumstances the peo-
PIE here were justified in coming and set
ting on tho lands, and the government
instead of driving them off, which it is
hoped will be done. We are holding
meetings every week and committee was
appointed to wait on ]. B. Raymond of
Fargo, to request him to GO and see the
president, the secretary of war and score
tary of the interior, and intercede for US.
politics on hand and could not serve us
just now; consequently, We got up petit
ton and sent it to Washington to the pres
ident, the secretary Of war, and secretary
of the Interior. There will also be an ap-
ling, Minnesota, for his assistance in this
matter.
The amount of land taken for this last
reservation is about one hundred and fifty
thousand acres, (15O,OOO) on which there
are only about three thousand g, OOO) acres
of timber, barely enough for the settlers
within this reservation Saying nothing of
the settlers eutside) until the approaching
railroads furnish them fuel; and besides
the government has reserved wood enough
to last Fort Totten, $50 we are informed)
for thirty years, outside of the land they
are now taking.
Consequently, the idea of taking this
large tract of land for a wood reservation,
with only one-fftieth part of it timbered.
is all u humbug, and appears only to mean
something else.
NJ. E. DONAHUp.