The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-01
Value of Land Entries in the
State, $4,S29,783.
NUMBER or ACRES. a.sss.sss.
Rural Population Of Washington In
creased $1,000 Souls.
of Soil. TO Be Reclaimed and Trans
formed Into Fertile Fieids-Eeports
From the Several Land Districts.

The progress Of Washington IS state
cannot be viewed from q better point Of
vantage than from the reports Of the
United States local Land Offices in the state,
OF which there are seven. namely: Seattle,
Vancouver, Wslla Walla, Spokane Falls,
Yakima, Olympia and Wateryille. II
should be understood that the govern
rnent records Show only virgin soil taken
mp by the private individual. and not the
vast areas annually brought under the
pIow By hardy settlers. Still the nsaguEtl-
cent showing made should forever silence
the croaker. the burden Of whose song -
that Washingfon's cities are growing be-
yond that Of the rural districts TIE total
acreage entered under the several acts Of
congress and lands purchased from the
government Is not rs large a. that OF ls,',
owing entirely 20 the parsim0ny Of con-
gress In refusing the state Of Washington
sufficient appropriation 10 keep public
surveys abreast Of the demands Of settlers.
In the state Of Washington there are a.
7ss. iso acres Of land, less than one-haif
of which Is surveyed and IN the market,
and Of this amount 81, SO. 10 acres passed
from the hands Of the government TO that
of private individuals within the past
So .g30 IL were filed upon or entered
through the Seattle Office.
During the year lss3 the entries through.
out the state aggregated 2-5s4. pa acres, re-
presenting s4019, s5s. in purchase price Of
lands, fees and commissions, plus 3Ss. -
acres sold by the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company at an estimated value OF
81 ,943 go. or this reclaimed AREA Eastern
Washington foots up TO s0s. - acres, while
the western portion OF the state rolls up a
total CT .435. s32.55 acres. II is but fair 10
ada 20 the cost price Of these lands q rea-
sonable sum IS expenditures made by set
tiers during the year. Basing such an es-
innate 81 $50 per entry VIC thus have an
outlay q s2.6S9s550 in preliminary acts
OF retaining heretofore wiId land.
The year iS0. ending Decem-
Der 81, shows that 1s75, 933-l3 acres
were disposed Of by the government and
10000 acres by the Northern Pacific rail-
road, making total Of Isl, 653. Is acres.
The price paid for the government lands,
together with fees and commissions,
amounts to sl.s36. 1881, which added to
the $4,000, the price received tor rail-
road grant lands, makes total OF $3.50
1881 expended for new lands ard en-
hraced in $50 entries exclusive Of those
sold by the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company. Estimating each OF these en-
trymeD 70 have expended $50 In prelimi-
nary Improvements on their claim we
would have total expenditure of 81 .ls0.-
SO. which added 10 the amount paid for
the lands brings it to a grand total Of Sc
oi0. 2s3-3f- OF this vast sum over 100000
vast sent East during the past twelve
months 10 pay for these lands Com putting
each entrynan 10 have family of two, be-
sides himself. we thus have an increase of
$3.50 in the purely agricultural popuia-
ton Of the state as directly shown from
the land Office records. The decrease IN
the number OF entries made during the
past year as well as the acreage
Is accounted for in two ways. First, ow-
ing 70 the business of the year 1859 in the
Seattle district being swelEed 10 enormous
proportions By reason of the policy Of the
former administration in holding np'' en-
tries, some $50 old entries have fallen 10
the present officers Of the Seattle district
upon their entering Office; and secondly,
owing TO the lack OF government surveys
and consequent dearth Of land available
for settlement. Ii is roughly estimated
that in Western Washington there are
100000 acres of unsurveyed land nox
held by settlers under ''sqnatters' rights. >,
which, taken al leo acres per individual,
would show 1850 settlers, which, multi
piled BY three, representing the family.
would give = total Of 1850, which added
20 the 1910 above given, would show the
rural population TO be increased by Gallo
sonls.
The business transacted in the several
land districts is here shown. giving the
reaaer fair idea Of the relative growth of
tbs several sections of the state:
wAaIA waLLA DISTRICT.