Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-11-17
PLENTY OF PUBLIC LAND.
Grand Opportunities for Home
Seekers IN Idaho County,.

As Camas Prairie is filling up
with "Sooners' who are here
awaiting the opening of the Nez
Perce Indian reservation lands to
white settlement, so that they may
acquire home thereon, we pub
lish for their benefit letter from
a Michigan exchange, by reference
to which it will be seen that there
is plenty of public land open to
settlement outside the reservation
limits. And we do not hesitate to
confirm the statement of this Mich
igan settler that these lands are
the very best in the world, not on
ly for their deep, black loan soil,
but for the abundance of fine tim
ber thereon, their lower altitude
and more sheltered location. Sew
eral townships of these fine lands
were surveyed this season, both ON
the north and south side of the
Middle fork of Clearwater. They
are in all respects better lands
than any on the reservation. and
they will have, for the timber
alone, a higher market value than
the reservation lands in their high
est state of cultivation will ever
command. The new region is a
particularly inviting one for settle
ment. The middle fork of Clear
water, the loveliest stream in the
State and the largest tributary of
Snake river, runs through it, carry
ing depth of water at all seasons
sufficient for rafting purposes, and
which, with slight expenditure can
be made navigable far above the
timber line. 1t is the lowest foot
hills of the Bitter Root mountain
range, and embraces part prairie
and part timber lands. The tim
Der is the best in this State, con-
sisting of white, yellow and black
pine, red and white fir, tamarack
and cedar. From this belt must
be cut the supply of lumber and
wood required in the treeless coun-
try between the Bitter Root and
Cascade ranges. Furthermore. the
Clearwater river is the most direct
route for transcontinental rail-
road, and eventually the greater
portion of transcontinental travel
and freight will occupy tn a t
highway. Then, too, these settle
ments will be the nearest agricul-
tural supply point to the mineral
zones now being developed in the
Bitter Root range. These lands
are fully one thousand feet lower
in altitude than Camas prairie and
the best of the reservation lands,
and therefore the climate is much
more genial and fruits can be rails
ed there to better advantage than
with us.
Therefore we say that those pco-
pie who are here now waiting for
the reservation lands to be opened
are making a mistake, and if they
are wise they will locate them
selves on the lands we speak of.
There is no absolute certainty that
Congress will act on the reserva-
ton matter this winter; and even
if it should, it is more than likely
that it will order the lands apprais-
ed and then sold at auction, as was
done in the case of the opening of
the surplus lands on the Umatilla
reserve. Our advices from Wash
ington indicate that this is to be
the policy of the department and
of Congress, because the govern
ment revenues at this time are far
behind its expenditures and it is
thought that the suplus reserva-
ton lands can be sold to the high
est bidders and thus relieve the U.
S. treasury of the cost of paying
the Indians the purchase price
agreed on. Meanwhile, the uncer-
tainty exists and may be protract-
ed indefinitely, and those who are
awaiting its final settlement are
grasping at shadow and permit
ting the substance to escape them.
ID Iy "