The Dickinson press., 1889-02-23
Our Foundation and Free Homes.

The following information relative
to II present population and govern
lnent lands is from the biennial re-
port of the commissioner of immigra-
ton and is we'll worth careful reading
as it shows that that most of the free
land now open to settlement is in the
Bismarck land district, Il large portion
of it being tributary to Dickinson and
in Stark county:
No official count of the population
of the territory has been taken since
the federal census of 1885, and the
only figures available for the years
1856. 1887 and 1888 are estimates, APP
proNimately correct. made by this
office, and based OH the public land
entries us reported by the ten United
States land Offices in Dakota. On June
80, 1886, Hon. Lauren Dunlap, then
commissioner of immigration, esti-
mated the number of Dakota's inhabi-
tants to amount to 100000 souls. \
year later, June so, 1887, this office
made an estimate which gave the
territory Il population of 56S.471. and
the estimate by the same authority,
for the year ending June 80. 1888, in
dicated Il gain of 62,346, or a total pop
ulation, at that time, of 640,S23. How
ever, the commissioner is inclined to
believe, from Il review of the vote
cast in the territory on November 6
last. that his estimate of the present
population of the territory shows Il
population larger than we really have.
From IL comparison of this vote with
other reliable data in his possession
the commissioner is quite satisfied
that Dakota's population to-day will
approach closely to 100000 people.
Exclusive of Alaska. and deducting
the area yet to he segregated for rail
road and private land-claim grants,
there remained in the United States.
June so, 1856 (as compiled from the
annual reports of the commissioner
of the General Land Ofice), 573,344,-
Cos acres of surveyed and u%nsurveyed
lamds-heing the entire area of the
public domain, good, bad and inditfer-
ent, at the disposal of the government.
OF this total of 573,000,0 600 acres re.
manning in the hands of the govern
memt June so, 1856, probably not more
than l0O,0 5000 acres were a%gricultu-
raj lands. The officials of the govern
ment estimated the purely a%gricultu-
raj lands remaining in the West, June
80. 1883, ut only 100000 acres; but
this estimate was certainly too low.
At the present rate of disposal (more
than 100000 0 acres per annum). all
the desirable lands owned by the gov
eminent will have disappeared within
the next five years. \ study of these
figures must convince the observing
that the time is rapidly approaching
when the public domain and "frce
government homes" Will he IN item
of history only.
The entire area of Dakota amounts
to 96, 500, $50 acres. OF this. 2B.S41.lU5
acres are contained within Indian
reservations; about 100000 acres
were granted by the government to
aid i'm the construction of the North
em Pacific Railroad; 3,000,000 acres
are set aside for support of schools;
and, according to careful computa-
tions made for this Office from the
records and platc-books of the several
land districts, there had been disposed
of, up to June 80, 1888, 37,779,l s0
acres under the general land laws
leaving Il vacant area open to settle
ment, at this time (not %dcducting the
small area of veyed lands held
by s%quatters), of 2l,970,l 1876 acres.
The Bismarck and DEVILS Lake
districts contain more than nine
tenths of the public lands subject to
settlement in the territory. During
the past seven years 34,000.000 acres
of Dakota lands have been entered un.
der the provisions of the government
land laws-being an area greater than
that of twenty-threc of the states OF
the union (the list including New
York, Mississippi, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, Maine), OF equiv
alent to five New IIampshires, Yer
monts or Marylands, six Massachu
sets, seven New Jerseys. ten Con
necticuts or twenty-five Delawarcs.