The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-31
ABUNDANT LAND
FOR SETTLERS
Many thousand Acres Belong
to State.
STATE LAND BOARD
DID BIG BUSINESS
Over Seven Million Acres Granted
by the Government.
Sales for the Year Were 1OO,756
Acres, for Which 1884, $50 Was
Received-State Land Sales to
Date Aggregate S7OO, O0O-Much
Good Land Available for Settlers
Record of the United States
Land Office.

CtahS land interests ara rapidly pro-
crossing to that stage where the state
VIII derive handsome revenue from the
peiencent grants made by the general
government upon the admission of the ter
ritory to statehood The formative period
Is passed and now the state land board
is doing an enormous business. Settlers
are taking up land with unprecedented
energy. and many who have entered gov
eminent tracts are availing themselves
ot tne aavantage OF REIMBURSEMENT to the
apply upon the states grants and then
contracts with the relinquishers TO sell
TIE iand at the government price on ten
years tlme, with per cent annual inter-
est on deferred payments. Nearly every
settler VINO has occupied school sections
1or generation has awaited himself of
the opportunity TO secure title to his hold
ings.
During the year past the state land
board has done more business than for
i the three years preceding. Money is flow
ing INTO the treasury at a rapid rate to
help the maintenance of the free schools
and the support of state institutions. To
gate the land sales represent over 100000.
In one way or another nearly all of 1t is
drawing interest. The school fund is a.
permanent investment and only the inter-
est Will be applied to the purpose intend
ed, but each year the earnings will grow
with increasing volume.
Were 1t not for the fact that a large
part OF Utah is desert and mountainous
iuC SoNcfHutnL grants Oh 4.oUU,UJU acres
would at once represent a value of
slo 0oO.Ueo, but in time every acre of noun
tain domain will have a tempting worth
for the coal, iron, timber, stone and
precious metals in them, and who knows
but that the arid wastes will yet be
moistened by the waters from artesian
wells and by reservoirs built to catch the
freshets thus making the dry land eager
ly sought after by farmers and livestock
growers?
Plenty of Good Land Left.
There are still thousands of acres of
desirable farming. grazing and mineral
lands for sale in the state on easy terms
and at minimum prices. The policy of en-
couraging the development of Utah'S re-
sources permeates the law by which the
states lands are disposed of. Only about
one-fifth of the school sections. number
ing nearly 100000 acres. has been sold or
applied for Other lands granted by the
government fer public Institution pur-
poses are selected by the board of COM
ing purchasers. OF the 1,5O0,0 900 acres in
the other grants only 541,0o acres have
been selected. Selections pending ap-
proval for several thousand acres ad-
dstionai are on file in Washington.
The board is mindful of the possibilities
accruing. from the opening of the Indian
reservations to settlement, from the
transformations to be wrought by discov-
cries of precious minerals and develop
nlents of iron and coal deposits in Iron
county. and from the creative influence
terranean flows in the fertile, dry
stretches away from the Wasatch range.
When these eXpectancies are reached the
state will have rich new domains opened
to IL.
Exclusive of school sections the num-
Der of acres of selected land
available by intending settlers or pur-
chasers in the several counties is approx
imately as follows: Beaver county, 1000
acres: Box Elder. 5,eOO: Cache, 1900; Car
bon. $500; Davis. LOCO: Emery, 3,001:
Grand. 1900: Garfield. 800: Iron 5000;
gan. $500: Piute. $500: Rich, 1909: Salt
Lake. 1000; Sanpete. 5000: San Juan, 1000:
Sewer. $500: Summit, 5000; Tooele. 5000:
Uintah. 5000: Utah, 1900; Washington.
LOCO; Wasatch. 5000; Wayne 5000; Weber,
1000; total, 10000 acres.
Years Land Business.
The following table shows the sales of
state lands for the year 1899: