The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-08-02
The Proposed Park.

4 2IS,4ut acres Ut Waterand surface
and 6lI,692 acres Of land. OF
| the latter 121, 500 acres, in scatter
ed localities, have been allotted to
Indians. leaving 489, T98 acres to
be paid for. Ofthis latter 100, 600
acres in round numbers. and no
more, may be regarded as ner-
charitable "pine land. b. "pine
land is meant, according to the
interior Departments construc-
ltion of Indian treaties and public
LAND laws, lands that are valuable
for the merchantable standing
pine thereon; all other lands,
whether bearing jack or scrub
pine Or other sorts of timber or no
timber, are considered, under the
Existing treaty with the Indians,
as agricultural lands, and when
proclaimed as open to settlement
may be taken III 160-acre tracts at
Es1.25 per acre by actual settlers
under homestead law conditions
las to residence and cultivation.
Although the greater part Of these
lands technically designated "ag-
ricultural lands are not desirable
for farming and would not be
taken up for cultivation for mauy
years, if ever, yet in any new
Negotiations with the Chippewa
Indians to obtain the land III bulk
the government naturally would
have to pay for it at the rate Of
81, 25 an acre, which would
amount to $4s7, 237. 1t will be
conceded that this is a large price
when one remembers that there
are millions of acres Of land III
tNorthern Minnesota which have
been open to homestead settlers
| for thirty years and that are still
vacant: and that railroad COM
pally sold similar land to the state
for ii part Of the Itasca Park at so
Iscents an acre. The estimates of
| the Spine lands III the proposed
! park have not been published, but
the statistics Of quantities and
values of "pine lands" on the Red
Lake reservation, where the pine
was rs good if not better than in
1 the proposed park, will enable one
Ito arriveat a reasonable safe con-
iclnsion as to their value. The an
nual report of the Commissioner
Of the General Land Office shows
THAT POI, 34S acres of Chippewa
pine lands have been estimated
land that the value Of the same
was found to be 81, IA, 72S at$3 q
Thousand feet. This is at the rate
of SIS per acre. Since then the
average price Of standing pine in
Minnesota has risen to 81 thou
sand feet which would make the
pine lands worth $6 an acre. Ac-
cordingly, a flair valuation Of the
100000 acres of pine lands in the
!. proposed park would be 100000
4 to which add the yf.lue Of the So
called agricultural lands, $4S7, 900
gives $1.287, 00o. as fair valuation
of the park.
10 make it surely ample, let Us
say in round numbers $,500'000,
which should be paid to the In
dians as the price of TIE park.
The important fact about this is
that this principal sum would not
have to be appropriated. In its
dealings with the Indians the
government does not pay them the
purchase money in cash. but stip :
ulates to pay it in fifty years-it
credits them with the amount md
pays them interest thereoll at 5
per cent per annum. If Com
mission appointed BY the Presi-
dent should negotiate with the
Indisns for the purchase of this
| park. all thatscongress would have
1 to do would be to appropriate
SIS, 900 each year for interest.
1 All the stories that have been cir
culated as to the need of arpropri-
ating millions of dollars for the
| purchase of the park may be re-
garded as bugbears.
One further word. If the park
be obtained, the pine will be treat
Cd on forestry principles. The