Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-02-08
THE LAND OFPROMISE.
Hundreds of Settlers and Bust
ness Men Hurrying to the
Nee Perez ReserVe.

Spokane Chronicle.
The people of this city and nei-
borhood do not realize the great
benefit which is soon to come to
them by the opening to settlement
of the Nez Perez Indian reserva-
ton. Here are half a million acres
of land of the finest quality, which
within few months will be ready
for the settler and the homeseeker.
Not such land as greeted the weary
immigrant who rushed into the
Oklahoma territory only to find
himself confronted with barren
country and desolate prospect, but
Palouse land; and what more can
one say of the soil than that it is
"Palouse."
Such land is worth anywhere
from $1,000 to $4,000 per acre. The
government has considered this
land very valuable, for it is about
to pay for it more per acre than it
ever before gave for reservation
land anywhere in America. The
price which is to be paid is s ,626,
300. This is not speculative, for
the appropriation is already made,
and everything done but one step,
and this is being rapidly finished.
This final step is securing the sig
natures of. the members of the
tribe to the deeds of conveyance.
Most of the tribe have already
signed and others are doing so each
day. A few are holding out, but
they will doubtless soon be brought
to sign the agreement.
When this is done the first pay
ment of 100000 will be author
Used. This at one time will put in
circulation over half a million dol
lars among the neighbors, friends
and patrons of Spokane. 1t is
predicted that half of it will soon
find it's way into this city and the
other half will be spent where it
will benefit those who benefit Spo-
kane. Indeed, reports from Lew
iston, where the Nez Perces do a
great deal of trading, say that al
ready the Indians are spending
their money freely. That is, though
they have not received the money,
they are buying quite extensively,
giving orders on the coming mo-
ney, which orders when endorsed
by the Indian agent, are taken
anywhere in that part of the coun-
try by the merchants, and consid-
cred as good as gold. This is al
ready making times better in that
section, for it gives valuable Cir
culating medium, and this itself is
no little advantage, and the fact
that the best business men take
these orders so readily is in itself
an assurance that the money will
be quickly forthcoming.
These Indians are not as expert
enced in expanding their money as
white man should be, yet they
are not squandering it. They are
purchasing wagons and horses,
reapers, mowers and threshers,
stoves, beds and sewing machines.
Thus the money will go quickly,
and the rich gold will pour into
the pockets of the surrounding
merchants. This in itself will be OF
great though temporary advantage.
But the great advantage and the
lasting advantage will be that 5O0,-
600 acres of the finest land in the
world will soon be sold to the home
seeker for 1915 per acre. Five
thousand, even 5000 families viii
find comfortable homes upon this
tract within very short time
Thirty thousand people will b,
added to the population, besides ;
great increase in the population o
the adjoining cities and towns
The reservation is almost entirel,
within the bounds of Nez Perc
and Idaho counties, which nov
have but 1000 or 5000 people
The next twelve months will in
crease the inhabitants of these tw
counties to $4,000 or 30, 900 people
To obtain this land there is bu
one way. The old presumption la,
is done away with and no one bu
bona fde settler can obtain il
and that only by actual residence
The regular homestead laws apply
The price to Il man who will &
upon 100 acres, make it his home
improve and cultivate it, and max
it yield the rich increase which
will so easily do, is 1915 per acre
One-half of which must be pal
within the first two years. T
honorably discharged union so
diers and sailors especial privilege
are granted.
The soil of this reservation, eve
under the rude cultivation of tn
Indian will yield the most abund
ant returns. The land around tn
reservation on all sides is producin
the best wheat, oats, flax, barle
and rye. The famous Snake rive
fruit farms cover but few thous
and acres of land along that rive
and are small in extent compare
with the vast areas of similar c
better fruit land within the bound
of this reservation.