Morris tribune., 1895-11-06
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Some Things the Report of the
General Land Commissioner
Will Show.
approximately Seven Million
Acres Have Been Disposed OF
in a Year.
Special Effort to Settle Up
Swamp Land Grants En-
tries Increased.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6.-The report OF
the commissioner of the general land
office for 1896 will show some interest
ING facts in connection with the dispo-
sitiomof public lands in the Northwest.
Respecting the quantity of vacant lands
still remaining in the country the re-
port will show that there are but $780,
OS3. .495 acres, of which 313, ,837 1888 acres
are surveyed According to the report
for 1894 there were 6O6, ,040,313 acres of
vacant public land in the country,
showing that approximately 100000
acres of public lands have been disposed
of during the past year. During that
period there were disposed of in Mime
sofa about 500, 900 acres, in Wisconsin
&C, 900 acres, in North Dakota 400, 900,
in South Dakota nearly 100000, and
in Montana 100000
some Lands Still Unclaimed.
There remain in these public land
states vacant public land as follows:
In Minnesota surveyed lands, 2, ,551 ,671
acres; unsurveyed, 2,621, 1878; in Wis
consin, sos, ATS acres, all surveyed; in
North Dakota, 10, 2O6, 1866 surveyed, and
1O,172, 46O unsurveyed; South Dakota,
11,O12, SAB acres surveyedsZan 2,619 ,428
unsurveyed in Montana, 15,246, 204
acres surveyed, and 81 $50, ,897 acres un-
surveyed.
These statements of the vacant public
lands in these states is exclusive of mil
itary and Indian reservations, water
- otc
lections already made, railroad grants
and claims remaining unadjudicated,
part of which may in the future be re-
stored to the public domain.
The commissioner says that during
the year there were certified and pat
ented under the several grants to aid in
the construction of railroads in the
country about 100000 acres of land,
and there remain unpatented railroad
selections in these grants to the amount
of %, ,623, 900 acres.
Some Swamp Lands Patented.
A special effort to adjust swamp land
claims has resulted in the final settle
ment to the amount of 1888, 152 acres.
There have been patented to the sew
eral public land states since the origin
of the grant appertaining to swamp
lands about 58,OOO,000 acres of swamp
and overhowed lands. Of this amount
3,159,211 acres have been patented to
Minnesota and 3,347. 1868 acres to Wis
consin. During the past year there
have been selected for Minnesota
swamp lands to the amount of 118, 790
acres, there have been approved 157, ,O61
acres and patents issued for 114,S03
acres
More Land Entries Than in 1894.
During the year there were located
military bounty land warrants in the
various public land states covering H.
$50 acres, of which amount nearly one
half or 4, 100 acres were located in Min
nesota, 200 acres in North Dakota and
800 acres III South Dakota. The tabula-
tions of the transactions at the various
land offices in the public land states, for
incorporation in the commissioner re-
port, are not yet available, but the totals
of homestead entries for the country
show an aggregate of 20,022 entries,
covering 2,9S0,8 800 acres, which is an in
crease in the number of entries over
1894 of 375, Or 50,961 more acres en-
tered under the homestead laws during
the past year than were entered in 1894 |