Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-06
MORMONS
o COLON|zE
Apostle Woodruff and Party
Enr0ute to Wyoming.
BOUND FOR THE BIG HORN
Have Secured an Option on $4,000
Acres Under Carey Act Other
Mormon Colonies.

of the church of Jesus Christ Of Latter
Day Saints and a son of ex-Pres't Will
ford Woodruff, head of the Mormon
church, and a young man, who by rea-
SON of his family connections and talents
stands very high in the councils of the
Mormon church, arrived in the city at
o'clock to-day. He was accompanied
by quite a party including Byron Ses
sions, councillor of the Woodruff stake,
Hon. Charles A. WEIGH, a member OF the
last legislative assembly of Utah; Bish-
op N. L. Warren of Thomas Fork, Idaho;
John Croft, John Stevens, and s. p.
Sorensen of Montpelier, Idaho; H. K.
North of Mill Greek, Utah; G. HI. Tag
CART, John T. Symons and William q.
Symons Of Morgan, Utah; William Graz
ham of Bennington, Utah; Brigham Ttb-
bets and William Gurnsey of Thomas
Fork, Idaho: all elders of the church.
These officials OF the Mormon church
are the guests Of Presiding Elder Hiram
Monson, of the Butte Conference, Mon
tana mission, and they are on their way
to the Big Horn basin in northern wy
oming on a scheme which c~ontemplates
the establishment Of a large Mormon col
ony north OF the Shoshone and west OF
the Big Horn river in Fremont county,
Wyoming. The party will depart for
Red Lodge tonight and will go from that
place, overland, to their destination
Apostle Woodruff is a pleasant young
man Of superior intelligence. In COM
mercial life he is employed IN a Salt Lake
bank. He declined to discuss the Rob-
erts case, referring matters political to
Mr.. WEIGH, who, he said, was the poll
tician of the party. Mr.. WEIGH also de-
clined to discuss Roberts and his trOu-
bles.
Roberts has had enough trouble and it
is time that he had a rest" said Mr..
Woodruff. HE returned to Utah a few
DAYS ago., looking and feeling we'll. The
experience he has just gone through has
not served to diminish his popularity.
No; I could not say whether or not he
will be the next governor of Utah"
On the Big Horn colonizing scheme.
however, Mr.. Woodruff was enthusiastic,
talked freely. 1
"JJnder the provisions of the Carey act,
which set aside from the public domain
certain tracts of LAM for state purposes,
we have secured from the state land
board Of Wyoming an option ON a tract
of fertile land aggregating $4,000 acres"
said he. 1.-The land commissioners of Wyo-
ming, including Governor Richards, met
the officials of the church in Salt Lake
City yesterday and completed the necs-
sary arrangements. If our report is
favorable in regard to this land we will
acquire it, and one of the provisions of
it's acquisition is that we shall have re-
claimed one-eighth of this tract by 1904.
There is little question regarding u ac-
ceptance of the land, as we have a -four
ishing colony of Mormons, about 400 peo-
pie, so miles from the place we propose
to colonize. We expect, as soon as prac-
tioable, to remove from so to 100 families
to the new colony, and will at once con-
struct a canal for the reclamation of the
arid land. The officials of the state of
Wyoming have given US every encour-
aetement in this matter, and have evinced
a desire to help the establishment of the
colony.
1.-THE colonizing schemes of our church
have been very successful. 1t is the policy
Of the church to look after its people,
and provide them with homes, and care
full inquiry is always made into the re-
sources Of a section before it meets with
the approval of those who go before the
colonists, and blaze the trail for the men
and women who transform the desert
waste into fertile farms. Our people are
naturally agriculturists, Industrious and
thrifty. and If the Big Horn country is
what I am told it is, the colony should
prove very successful"