The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-12-06
HALF MILLION PAID.
Great Northern Accepts Land Grant
and at Once Sells 1t.

OG. raul D1SpdUCH
| State Auditor Dunn Friday closed
the biggest land deal in the history
of the Office.
The deal was the transfer to the
Great Northern of the land decided to
that company by former Auditor Bier
man in 1894 and the acceptance of
the deed by the company, which in
turn, Immediately transferred the land
to F. E. KenasUon, of Minneapolis, and
O. A. Robertson of st. Paul, as presi-
dent and manager, respectively OF the
Minnesota Land and Colonization
company, for consideration slightly
in excess of $500, OOO The land is
thereby Immediately placed on the
tax list and will be disposed of to
settlers.
In 1884,, Adolph Bierman, then state
auditor, got out of patience with the
Great Northern, which had not yet
selected the lands to complete its grant
in this state, and made the selections
himself. He decided to the company
1876, 664 acres, which are within 500
acres of the amount due to fill out the
grant The land is located in Aitkin,
Cass and Itasca, Carlton, Grow Wing,
Otter Tail, Becker, Hubbard and Bel
trami counties.
That section of the state was then
considered wilderness and the lands
worth little or nothing, and alleging
this as a reason, the Great Northern
refused to accept the deed when it
was signed and rendered by Auditor
Biermann and Gov. Nelson.
When d. NJ Clough was governor
he tried to force the matter into the
courts for settlement by deciding the
company 1000 acres more than it was
entitled to. But the attorney general,
believing the chances were against the
state in law suit declined to bring
the action. At the same time the
state declined to accept a return of the
deed, and insisted upon its acceptance
by the Great Northern. Therefore the
land has stood for seven years, practi-
cally belonging to nobody, and yielding
the state no revenue.
After closing up all the other land
grants save this and that of the Duluth
& Iron Range road, Auditor Dunn set
about effecting a settlement with the
Great Northern, by negotiating deal
with the Land & Colonization COM
pany for the purchase Of the lands, he
induced the Great Northern to accept
the deed to the lands. The deed was
accepted today.
The lands are mostly timber lands,
but include some fine tracts. They
are the same lands that were decided
by Mr.. Biermann, with the addition
of the 500 acres due to complete the
grant, making 1875, 1874 acres in all.
At the same time the deal with the
Little Falls & Dakota Railroad COM
pany, authorized by the last legisla-
ture, has been closed. Under this ar
rangement the company accepts one
third of its original grant, and the
state saves II, 600 acres.
This closes the last of the land
grants, except that of the Duluth &
Iron Range, a part of which is in dis
pute. The directors of that company
will meet in Duluth tomorrow, and if
they agree to deed back to the state
the 40, 900 acres of institution lands
| which were included by mistake in
Judge Lochren's decree confirming
their grant, or allow the matter to
be reopened in court, and these
lands to be stricken from the decree,
their grant will be settled within a
very..short time. If they attempt to
hold these Institution lands, there
will be long and bitter fight in the
courts. 1t is expected that the direc-
tors will arrange to reconvey the lands
to the state, and in that event the de-
fciency will be made good from other
lands The state has enough to fill the
grant, aud 30, 900 acres to spare.
The Minnesota Land & Colonization
company is very enthusiastic over the
outlook in Minnesota. This company
purchased about 900, 600 acres in the
state about eighteen months ago from
the Northern Pacific, and has since
disposed of it ALL excepting IL, 1000
acres on the iron range, which have
been detained on account of mineral