The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-03-23

THE PROPOSED NATIONAL PARK
There has been great deal said pro
and con regarding the proposed ma
tional park in the northern part of the
state, and the millions of dollars that
would be appropriated and squandered
in it's purchase if it was authorized, but
the following from G. G. Andrews,
chief fire warden of Minnesota. would
Indicate that this feature Of it is largely
imaginary. What the cost Of keeping
up the park would be, and the promot-
ing of forestry he does not allude to, but
doubtless the benefits that would accrue
therefrom would offset this expense.
Mr.. Andrews says:
The proposed park comprised 21S, 40
acres of water surface and Gil ,692 acres
of land Of the latter 1917 acres,
in scattered localities, have been allot
ted to Indians, leaving 479, 1875 acres to
be paid for. Of this latter 100, 900 acres
in round mum beers, and no more, may
be regarded as merchantable ''pine
lands" By ''pine lands is meant, &C
cording to the Interior Departments
construction of Indian treaties and pub
lie land laws lands that are valuable
for the merchantable standing pine
ing jack or scrub pine or other sorts of
timber or no timber. are considered,
under the existing treaty with the In
dians, as agricultural lands, and
when proclaimed as open to settlement
may be taken in 160-acre tracts at S1.25
per acre by actual settlers under home
stead law conditions as to residence and
cultivation. Although the greater part
of these lands technically designated
agricultural lands" are not desirable
for farming and would not be taken up,
for cultivation for many years, if eyer,
yet in any new negotiations with the
Chippewa Indians to obtain the land in
bulk the government naturally would
have to pay for it at the rate of 81 % an
acre. which would amount to $4S7, 237.
1t will be conceded that this is large
price when one remembers that there
are millions of acres of land in North
ern Minnesota which have been open to
homestead settlers for thirty years or
moreand that are still vacant; and that
railroad company sold similar land to
the state for part of the Itasca Park
at so cents an acre. The estimates of
the ''pine lands in the proposed park
have not been published, but the sta
tistics of quantities and values of spine
lands" on the Red Lake reversation,
where the pine was as good if not bet
ter than in the proposed park, will en-
able one to arrive at reasonably safe
conclusion as to their value The an
nual report of the Commissioner of the
General Land Office shows that 291, 348
acres of Chippewa pine lands have been
estimated and that the value of the
same was found to be 81, 773. 728 at So
per thousand feet. This is at the rate
of So actually $500 per acre). Since
then the average price of standing pine
in Minnesota has risen to 81 per thou
sand feet (board measure). which would
make the pine lands worth S8 yer acre.
Accordingly, fair valuation of the
100000 acres of pine lands in the pro-
posed park would be $500, 900, to which
add the value of the so-called agricul
tural lands. s4S7. 900, gives 81, 2s7, 900 as
fair valuation Of the park. To make
it. surely ample. let us say in round
numbers $1,000, 900, which should be
paid to the Indians as the price for the
park. The important fact about this is