The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-04-04
lHHEE RUSH FOR NEW LANDS
3 -,
Rcd Lake Res ery alton viii Be Thrown
3.gs5s :% Open May is.
CHOICE PROPERTY OF ALL KINDS.
No Scramble WIN BE Permitted as In
#s Other Reservations.

Lake reservation will be thrown open t
4 settlement. The lands at the disposal o
the government are largely in excess O
the 40 townships that are to be ta.el
possession of by the settlers in May bu
they include the pine lands. OF these
there are nearly million acres, and they
are to be sold at once.
The value of these pine lands Us IN
known. The information OF the govern
Ment as to their extent and value pei
acre Is very indefinite for. the reports
made by the surveyors are far from &C:
curate according to the statements Of the
Indians and others acquainted with the
country. The distinction between pine
and agricultural lands is not very nicely
drawn. but it is held that any 40-acre
tract containing 10000 feet or upwards CT
pine ia classed as pine land, while under
the ruling denying the right of the state
to the swamp lands all Of the balance OF
the reserve is supposed TO be agricultural
whether it be swamp, meadow or partly
tilnbered There. will be about 100000
acres OF the so-called pine land put on
the market.
The value and volume of the pine can
only be guessed at by the department.
for the notes do not show it--they are not
full enough. The unreliability of the
surveyors employed by the commission in
the survey was forcjbly demonstrated in
the statement made by the Indian deleg-
alton that went to Washington in Janu-
ary. They insisted that the surveyors
worked for weeks and weeks entirely
outside Of the reservation without know
ing that they were outside OF the Lines.
There is, therefore, some warrant for
the doubt that the commissioner OF the
land Office confesses to as to his method
Of procedure in disposing of the land.
He says that it has not yet been deter
mined whether a minimum price per
thousand will be put or the pine or
whether it will be disposed OF without
regard to a minimum. The pine lands
vary greatly IN value, for there is ire
lnendous difference in the value per
thousand of "forty" that has 10000 feet
of pine and the one that bears 700,Ooo
feet, rs many Of those surveyed are re-
ported. The pine lands are a matter Tor
the lumbermen to consider, and there
is not the slightest danger of their being
deceived as to the values.
With the settlers who will take posses
sion OF a great portion Of the 100000
acres to be opened, this accurate infor-
nation will be lacking. While the reser~
Walton has been fairly well explored, the
explorers have their information to sell,
and dozens OF cruisers and professional
"locaters" are ready to do business at the
towns surrounding the reservation. 1t is
certain that the better portion OF the
lands TO be opened to settlement lie
south or the Clearwater and the dlm1n-
ished observation, though a great deal
OF that to the north of the reservation
will be In demand. The country is fairly
we'll timbered and In the southern for-
ton the timber is hardwood. It is much
broken, not hiliy but diversified. Care
will have to be taken in the selection or
lands, for the country is very different TO
q prairie country where the possession
of a quarter section would insure 10 the
settler who had never seen the land the
possession Of 160 acres OF arabic land.
All OF the land i'll the districts TO be
opened is desirable, but 1T depends on
what the settler wants it for, whether
for the raising Of small grains, grazing
or stock raising The broken character
OF the country makes it especially de-
sirabie for stock.
The timber is the more dense as Red
Lake is approached from the south.
There Is an excellent wagon road trom
Fosstpn. one of the nearest towns, to the
reser walton and through it TO the agency
ON the south shore Of the lower lake. The
agency itself is one Of the beauty spots
Of Minnesota and IT. Is but short dis
lance from the northern boundary OF the
coded lands
All of the land to be opened south OF
the diminished reservation is trayersed
in various directions by wagon roads, but
they are the only evidence Of civilization
for the great tract is entirely un1nhaD"
tied. The country surrounding the res
eryation is fairly we'll settled and It's
southern and western boundaries are not
far distant from thriving towns Ii Is
but little more than Is miles from foss-
ton, the terminal Of the branch Of the
banch OF the same name on the Great
Northern road The other railroad towns
that are close 10 the reserve boundary
are Park Rapids. on the south. Mcintosh
and Red Lake Falls OH the west OF the
lower section Of the ceded lands. anu
Thief River Falls, west OF the northerly
section, A number OF towns have been
started along the boundary OF the res
ervation, and one of them, Be1nldll, IS
thriving place and promises to be the last
abiding place Of the settlers before they
take possession of their lands.
According to the decision OF the inter
ior department the lands will be offered
only to homestead entry by people mold
ing the right 10 homestead, but they
must also be paid for. The price fixed
on the land is SIPS per acre, payable
in five annual instanments. The rule is
the sdantation Of old presumption right
to the taking Of g, homestead and the
idea. is to secure bona fide settlers. There
will be none OF the scenes that have
marked the opening Of other reserva-
ttons in the West. The squatter has no
rights whatever and the settlers must
enter their lands before they settle upon
ther,---the mere right Of possession gives
no title. So there will be no rush except
al. the land Offices at Crookston or st.
Cloud--for both districts run into the
reservation.
But that there will be rush for the
lands is not to be doubted. There are
nearly 800 people now in the neighbor-
hood Of Bemidji, who are prospecting the
country, and they will have decided on
what they want before the time Of open
Ing. At other points along the boundary
the prospective settlers are looking the
country over, and it is going to be exceed
ingly difficult to keep them out of the
reservation. No provision has yet been
made to eject "sooners,," and the only
show OF authority there is about the res
eryation is the force Of Indian police.
mum bering q dozen, at the suDagency at
the south end of Red Lake.
.%gf IAN ooon noano