The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-16
THE PROPOSED LAND DISTRICT.

The TRIBUNE has noticed the intro
duction of a bill in the United States
senate providing for a land district in
northern Montana with the office at
Fort Benton. We have not been favored
with a copy OF the bill and therefore
cannot give the boundaries of the pro-
posed new land district but presume it
includes about all of Choteau and Cas-
cade counties. both comprising an area
of something over 10000 square miles
or 19.2OO.OO0 acres of land. This would
make a district in which 10000 home
stead entries of 100 acres each could be
made, provided all the lands were agri-
cultural and were taken up for farming
purposes.
Fergus county originally contained an
area Of 1900 square miles. Since its
organization it purchased a narrow strip
of land lying on the Missouri river from
Cioteau county. The county now con
tains an area of about 10000 square
miles all of which with a very narrow
strip on the eastern line Of Cascade
county forms the Lewiston land district.
altogether comprising about 6,40O,OU
acres or one-third the area Of the pro-
posed new land district TO the north Of
it. The object of these figures is to
show that the district contemplated IN
der the provisions of Col. Sanders bill
may be cut in two and then each half
would be larger than the Lewiston dis
trict. Tho TRIBUNE does not favor the
division of the territory comprised with
in the counties of Cascade and Choteau
for the purpose of making two land dis
tricts. but it respectfully submits that if
Fort Benton must have a land Office
Great Falls should also have n for
reasons herein submitted.
When Mr.. Carter was a member of the
lower house of congress he was repeated
ly requested to introduce bill providing
for the formation of a land district in
northern Montana and the establishment
of a land office at Fort Benton. Mr..
Val III l'Ipy NlotC w pa AZ tiiut
place-and the writer saw the letter
stating that the interior department OPP.
posed the formation of a district in the
portion of the state named upon the
ground that the very limited area of
lands surveyed did not justify the estab-
lishmcnt Of a land office at Fort Benton;
it would not be self, sustaining. The
conditions. rs far as Fort Benton is con
cerncd, are changed but little. a few
townships having been surveyed on the
line Il the Great Northern railway in
the Milk river valley. Farther than this
nothing has been done to the east of
Fort Benton since Mr.. Carter wrote his
letter, to add to it's claims to land Office.
But the conditions have greatly al
tered in the western or Cascade county
portion of the proposed new land dis
trict. Two great mining camps-Nei
hart and Barker have come to the
front as the most promising mineral cen
tiers in the state. Contiguous mining
districts have been formed and hundreds
Of claims located. All these must have
business with a land office. Nine-tenths
of all the land Office business in Choteau
and Cascade counties will, for the next
five or ten years come from these mining
sections. Railroads run from Great
Falls to them, and unless a land office be
established here parties having business
with one must pass directly through this
city. To force them to go to Fort Ben
ton or anywhere else to transact their
business would be unjust from every
point Of view.
Again. the great body Of agricultural
lands in the proposed new land district
is situated in Cascade county. Claiman's
of these lands must come to Great Falls,
though the land office be elsewhere
located. It would be emincntly unfair
to compel them to pass through the city
to 20 to Fort Benton on land Office bust
ness. For these and other reasons not
stated it will appear to the unprejudiccd
that Great Falls is the proper place for
the land Ollice OF the proposed land dis-
trict. II will further appear that ii one
must be established at Fort Benton
which. by the way, is only % miles from
! the Lewiston land district-the claims of
Great Falls to one should he ~favorably
considered. But it is really the only
place in northern Montana to establish
a.. l...l fiji, tl,,t ,.a,,ll Lao. f tJn ,,rantnGt
benefit to the greatest number of people.
TnE women's building at the worlds
fair will be one of the most noticeable
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