The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-21
NOT SALT LAKERS.

A dispatch in yesterday mornings
HERALD said many wagons from Salt Lake
valley, carrying people to Oklahoma, had
passed certain point. We are inclined
to think the correspondent, in this instance,
drew entirely upon his imagination. So far
as we have heard, not one man from Salt
Lake valley has gone to the new country to
secure land, and we don't believe one will
go. The men of Utah are intelligent
and far-sighted, and being so are
not running away on wild goose
chases Of this kind. In Utah
there remains of the public domain, sur
veyed and unsurveyed, about TWENTY-FIVE
times as many acres as there is in all Okla
homa. Much of this land is equal to the
average in the new territory, and with ir-
rigation, which will come in time, millions
of acres will be made more productive and
more desirable for homes than the very
best tracts in Oklahoma. The Utah land is
open to settlement in the regular way.
Under these circumstances it is not likely
that men will run off to a distant country
and take the chance of being the lucky one
OF ten who are drawing for Il questionable
prize.
y few days ago The HERALD pointed out
the folly of men running to Oklahoma, and
showed that not one in ten of the boomers
could secure a homestead in the TWO million
acres to be opened to settlement. Nine out
of ten of the men who have gone to the
new territory could have had as good or
better tracts of land near their own homes,
and without the risk, trouble and expense
which they are mourning. The Chicago
Inter Ocean takes the matter up, and shows
that there are public lands in nineteen
states and eight territories, which range in
price from s1.25 to $3.50 per acre, and much
of which compares favorably with the
ten thousand quarter sections in Oklahoma.
The total area of these available lands is
1.S15.504. IA acres, distributed as follows:
Alabama, %, 1862, 115 acres; Arkansas, 81
41O,O63: California, 10O,992, $40; Colorado,
&C. $50. 900: Florida, 1881 go; Illinois,
81, 4G5, O93; Indiana, 21,637, 100; Iowa, 3d.,
22S. 500; Kansas, 51,17O,240; louisiana
%, 731 $50: Michigan, 80, 1913 $40: Minnesota,
50, 459 $40; Mississippi, 30, l79, $40; Missouri,
Al .S3G 3d. Nebraska, 1907 ,359; Nevada,
Il. 737 600: Ohio, 25,5S1, $40; Oregon,
&C. $50, 800: Alaska, 500, 529,G 600; Wisconsin,
"a. 81 800; Arizona, 12,9O6, 240: Dakota,
90, $50, $50; Idaho, 80, 22S, 100; Indian Terri
tory. 40, 4Sl 600: Montana, 92,0l6,64O; New
Mexico, -, 56S, $40; Utah, 54,064, $40; Wash
ington Territory, 44,796, 100; Wyoming,
g. 645. 100; land strip, 1862, $40.
The surveyed lands in the states and
territories named comprise 973, 723, 1875 acres,
and the unsurveyed lands, including those
of Alaska, aggregate S41, 1906 acres.
In the light of these facts and figures it !
seems the veriest madness for men to rush |
off to Oklahoma, and encounter the danger |
which will exist there for many months |
The rush can be accounted for in
no other way than by the confess |
sion that men have taken leave
IF their senses. They are doing a very |
foolish thing, and without the incentive |
which exists when there is mining ex-
element. The discovery of gold turns
mems heads, because there is promise of
great and quick fortunes, but here the
must stay on his land five
5ears to get the title, at the expiration of
which time he will be fortunate if he can
;ell for what his improvements have cost
lin, the land being given away.
The HERALD is confident the boom cor
respondent has manufactured from moth
ng the statements in regard to wagons
rom this valley going to Oklahoma. Utah
people know too much and are too steady
,oing and cautious to permit the craze to
fleet them.