The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-11
THE FIRST HOMESTEAD.

carved out OF Unelp sam's Estate.
s, Louis Globe Democrat; Great
uoyements may sometimes be so close
aus. may pass, in fact, SO near to the
ave- tina. their size ana significance are
rosslbly quite unappreciated This ls
Certainly the case with the settlement
n. ibis country. which has progressed
JprIDg the past thIrty-fve years, at
,,,e more rapid than ever before In It's
history. We are accustomed TO reiegate
me age OF American settlement to the
,,., century and the fast few years OF
,ti. hut the past thirty-iive years have
saen such a drift of settlers 10 the pub
N, lands Of the country as Is not only
unequalled in our national annals, but
,s nat surpassed In the history of the
would. And yet so recent Is the move
ment under the homestead law that the
6rst settler TO enter a claim under this
",sessraAle act is still living ON the
"roperty then acquired. hale, hearty,
vigorous old man.
This leader OF the long procession of
bbmesteaders Is Or, Daniel Freeman,
and, live miles west OF Beatrice, on Cub
creek in Gage County, Neb,, is located
Me first homestead which was entered
under the act.
The homestead act was approved
NAV 90 1862, and u the Republican
marty had never done anything else for
the public welfare than to pass this act,
Il would still be deserving of place
and name among the national polite
al examinations Of our country, The
lam was 30 So into effect January !,
1863 Or. Freeman was then connected
with the United States army, but with
nm eve to the future he had acquired "a
s1uatter's right TO tract OF land In
Gage cuuntE. n sQuGttec's right was
established by making well-understood
jmur0vements, such as the building OF
house, fencing and breaking up OF a
certain amount OF lard for farming
nurposes, DR.. Frceman's improve
ments consisted OF q log cabin and a
stable, he had piowed twenty acres and
fenced a considerable area. Under the
laws Of the territory his claim was per-
fcc;ly valid. but, as It lay within the
pubiic domain OF the United States, It
was necessary for him, when the home
stead act was passed, 10 enter his
eIopcrty under that law.
The land Office was then at Browns
vile. Neb. seventy-hve miles east a.
D.. Freemans holding, and being I'M
Der orders to report at Fort Leaven-
WORTH, KAN, as soon as possible. he left
his property two or three days before
the end of the gear and went to Browns
Vile to locate his claim. He arrived
there on the last day Of 1862, registered
az the tavern, where he observed pre-
raratons for New Years eve ball. He
went to the ball and in the course OF
the evening made the acquaintance Of
The clerk of the land office, who told
him that OH the following day the office
would not be open, 1t being legal hol-
,iay. Freeman represented the urgency
81 his case and the necessity he was
under of going at once to Fort Leav-
enworth and begged as a special favor,
that his claim be registered. The clerk
Interested himself In Freeman's case,
hunted up the registrar, and at mid
night the latter opened his Office and
issued Or. Treeman's patent at 1905 on
the morning of January /. 1853 Hun
dreis upon thousands OF claims have
been located since; millions upon mil
Hons of public lands have been taken
up by homesteaders: states and terri
tories have been created out OF the pub
lie property; the wave OF civilization
has swept hundreds of miles to the
west OF Cub Greek. and all In half the
lifetime of one man.
The public lands OF the United states
are divided into several classes, as des-
ert, arid mineral and agricultural, but
the land open to homestead entry into
two-one, the first class. which Is sold by
the government at SIPS per acre as the
minimum price, may be located any
where In the public domain; the second
class, however. consists OF the alternate
sections OF land received by the govern
ment along the lines OF railroads, and
which sell for $3.50 per acre, or double
the price of the former. Any citizen Of
the United States, any soldier or sailor,
MAY become homsteader. II IS not
even necessary to take out the fun or
final naturalization papers, for upon
declaration OF intention to become Il
citizen the government Will allow q
HOMESTEAD claim to be entered. TINS
concession Is important, and IL recog-
iizcd as I'M some degree neccssa lr.', Tor
every year many immigrants come from
4 Europe to this country with means
enough to take up a claim, but not SUI
icIcnt to carry them during the term
4 ~ probation ere they become citizens
n the fullest sense Of the word. To sol
dIors and sailois land warrants were
Issued enabling them to take up a quar-
Ter section. or lGQ acres OF land Under
The presumption act man who had al
ready settled upon the pubic lana was
regarded as entitled to u prior clalm'
save wncn Indian lands were opened 10
settlement, and legislation passed AFTER
the homestead act, recognizes also u
timber claim. by which the planting OF
a certain number of acres Of trees en-
titles the planter 20 additional area. In
isgt the government, 50 far from maxi
Inc money out OF Its lands, has recog.
ME7A rs duty 80 provide for actual set
tiers by practically giving them the
land, and any hOmesteuGer who ocGu-
pies and cultlyates his land for I'VE
Yeas obtains Il at a nominal figure,
The public domain Is estimated by the
general land office as originally contain
!rg l,s2ivi7 90. acres. The origin OF this
enormous body at laud Is this: From
state cpssiOns, western reserves, came
.N,a0i1Zg acres; by purchase from
france Of Louisiana, Aprii 20, 1903 I5O,-
Nh 80 acres. by acquisition from spain
10 Florida. 35,2Gi.iOO acres: by the Mex
lean uessiUu In the treaty OF 1878. Feb
waT 2, a2g,62a, 25j acres; the ToNns
Ii Purchase amounted to G2,2G6.ej2 acres,
which however was retained by the
STATE. the Gadsdpn purchase from Mex
10 was 2g,ll2, 400 acres, and the Alaskan
purchase from Russia amounted to $780,
'.5bl OaCrCs Various sessions were
made by the various states OF larger
'.smalIpf amounts, and the aggregates
al al. these state cegslons, combined
With he purchases, constitute the sum
W-a. already given.
Ilo status OF the public domain, ac-