The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-29
OKLAHOMA TOWN SITES.
Secretary Mobiles Instructions to Regis
tiers and Receivers.

/
tiers and Receivers.
Secretary Noble has issued preliminary
instructions to the registers and receivers
of land Offices in Oklahoma concerning
town site entries under the recent act OF
| congress. Full instructions to the regis
ters and receivers. as well as to the
twenty-One town site commissioners ere
ated by the bill, will be issued in a few
days. It is expected that the secretary
of the interior will appoint the town site
commissioners at once. 4 number OF
them have been agreed upon, but it is
the intention of the secretary to com
plete the list before announcing any OF
the appointments. 1t is probable that a
register and a receiver for the new land
district in the public land strip will also
be appointed tomorrow. 1t is also under
stood that only one land district will be
provided for the public land strip at this
time, although the act of congress
authorizes the location of two. AS
soon as the business demands it
another viii be provided by the
secretary. The district at present will
include all of the public land strip, or
''No Mans Land" and the land office
viii be located at Beaver City. The pre-
liminary instructions, which are directed
to the registers and receivers of the land
Office at Guthrie and Kingfsher, were is
sued yesterday, although the secretary S
letter containing them was dated last
Saturday. 1t reads:
DEPARTMENT OFTHE INTERIOR. WASH
INGTON, d. c., May "A, Registers
and Receivers of the United States land
offices in the territory Of Oklahom: GEN
TLEMEN-I transmit herewith copies of
an act To provide for tOwn-site entries
of lands in what is known as Oklahoma,
and for other purposes approved May Il,
1890. This act provides that so mnch Of
the public lands situate in the territory
OF Oklahoma, now open to settlement, as
may be necessary to embrace all the legal
subdivisions covered by actual Occupan-
cy for purposes of trade and business, not
exceeding ], 2S0 acres in each case may
be entered rs town sites for the several
use and benefit of the occupants thereof,
by three trustees, to be appointed by the
secretary Of the interior for that purpose.
such entry to be made under the prOvls-
ions OF section 2,3S7 Of the Revised Stat
utes as near as may be.
Upon comparison of this act with the
22d section Of the act ito provide a
temporary government for the territory
Of Oklahoma, to enlarge the jurisdiction
of the United States court in the Indian
territory, and for other purposes APP
proved May >, 1890, a copy whereof is
also herewith transmitted, have de-
termined that the act of May Il applies
as well to the public land strip as to that
portion of the territory opened to settle
ment by proclamation of the president
the 22d Of April, 1899, and you will so
cOnstrue the same. By force of the act
of May Il, the entries for town sites in
the territory aforesaid must be made by
the trustees to be appointed by the secre-
tary of the interior, instead of by any
judge of the county court or the corPor-
ate authorities of any town. Preiimi-
nary to a more extended series of in
which will be promulgated
in time to regulate the action of the
trustees when their employment begins,
l have now to instruct and direct that
parties interested in any town site shall
prepare and you shall receive and
prefere without filing until the
trustees appointed ehall be prepared
to act, the requests for the entry of
the lands included in any particular
town site, with proof, as prescribed in
town site circular of July 8, 1886, sub
division 3, 50 far as applicable, under
section 1887. Of the Revised Statutes.
above mentioned. with q duly authenti-
Gated plat of the survey OF the land into
streets, alleys, squares, blocks and lots,
if any. already made by the inhabitants
thereof. and if not, that fact to be stated.
If proof and plat of survey have already
been made and forwarded, the applica-
ton now called for may refer to the fact,
and date of transmission, without reneH-
ing the papers so previously forwarded.
Upon the receipt Of application and the
other papers that may be submitted. you
viii forward them to this office for
further action, with your opinion there
on.
BY the first section of the act Of May
II you viii perceive that the trustees,
when appointed, may approve the survey
already made by the inhabitants, and
thus save much time. or under the in
of the secretary of the interior
the trustees may make the survey of the
Land into streets, alleys, squares, blocks
and lots. when necessary. The pur-
pose Of these instructions IS TO save
time and enable the appointment Of
the trustees to take effect at a. early a
day as possible. and the business then to
proceed without interruption. Before
the time when the trustees shall enter
upon the discharge of their duties, the
work above described hay-
ing been perfected, further rules and
will be promulgated, under
the act, whereby their duties and yours
in regard 10 ali the matters 10 be affected
by the town site act may be carried. into
effect.
You viii give publication to this let
ter IN complete form in at least one
newspaper IN your land district, and
send notice to the proper parties IL each
township within YOUR district. The pub
LEGATION for that part of the territory con-
tanned in the public land strip VIII be
made in like manner upon the establish
menr of the land offices therein This
business must be made special and re-
,eive immediate and continuous atteH-
ton. Very respectfully.
JOHN ". NOBLE,
''SecretaTy.7