Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-08-21
CAPITOL LAND SALE.
State Lands In Kandiyohi
County Become Private
Farm Property.
STATE AUDITOR CONDUCTS the SALE.

Auo'tor Dunn in Many instances
Gave the Spectators the Cold
Shoulder.-A Few Bidders were un.
able to raise tho Requisite Cash and
the Lands were Re-soId.-other
Buyers rslented In few instances
and the lessees took the Land
ut the Figure sold for.
The six thousand three-hundred and
nlnety-fve acres of land ceded to the
State OF Minnesota for the purpose of
providing future seat of government
In the central portion of the state are
now private property and the money
therefore goes into the state treasury
to be used for general purposes on
buildings at the capital. The crowd of
prospective buyers and others inter-
ested filled the court house hall and
were in numbers above three hundred.
The sale which was to have opened at
two O'Clock last Thursday did not be.
gin until nearly three O'Clock, and
during the delay a good many anxious
faces could be seen in the crowd of
people who have leased the lands here
tofore at the nominal rental of fifty
cents an acre and in many cases had
made their homes upon the land. Fin
ally State Auditor Dunn and Land
Clerk Flynn appeared upon the scene,
and the auditor proceeded to explain
the terms of sale. These, as our
readers have before been informed,
were identical with those governing
the sale of state school lands, except
that the full appraised value of the
improvements made upon the land had
to be settled for in cash at the time of
sale. The amount of the appraised
value of the improvements were not
publicly known until the moment of
sale, and this arrangement added an
element of uncertainty to any other
prospective buyer outside of the lessee
to whom it made no difference as he
already owned the improvements. Out
side of the cash required for the inn
provements, the terms were is per cent
down upon the principal and interest
until June l, 1902, the balance to be
paid in forty years with an annual in
terest of four per cent. The auditor
warned anybody against making straw
bids, and stated that he wanted to
give everybody q fair show as we'll as
do justice to the state. He did not
hesitate to declare, however, that the
lessees would be given the preference,
which resolve he carried out in some
cases in an arbitrary fashion, to the
discontinue of outside speculators of
which there were number in the
crowd, some being land seekers from
the states of Illinois and Iowa. The
law under which the land was sold
gave the state auditor the power to
reject any or all bids at his discretion.
He is also permitted under the law to
sell in tracts from forty to one hundred
and sixty acre lots, and he announced
that he would use this privilege to suit
the lessees of the land and with re-
ference to the improvements upon the
land, as he did not care to sell only
one forty with improvements and
buildings that might be worthless un-
less the owner had other land adjoin-
ing. In one case he made an exception
to the rule and sold five forties in one
lot. The first tract sold was the NE4
of Section 10 in East Lake Lillian,
which was appraised at S15 an acre
and the improvements at $610. Victor
F. Peterson was the lessee and bid the
amount appraised. There were other
bids, however, and the amount per
acre was rapidly increased by 25-cent
increases until 818 was reached, when
the lessee decided that his limit was
reached, and John Engesser became
the successful bidder. The NW4 went
to the lessee, Mr.. Franklin Gunner, at
go. The SW9 brought .$15 an acre
and the Sci S28. The TRIBUNE has
prepared q table published elsewhere
giving each tract sold, the appraised
value Of the, y improvements,
the name of the lessee, the price
paid and the successful bidder. The
sale OF the capitol lands and the few
tracts Of other state lands yet remain
ing unsold or delinquent occupied the
time 50 that it became necessary to
hold an evening session to finish up
the business. e. .
Creamery Business In Est Lake llIliss.
John Johnson, the efficient butter
maker at the East Lake Lillian cream
cry, was among those in attendance>at
the sale Of state lands last Thursday.
In 9 conversation with him Ne Cleaned
the following report Of the business
done at this creamery: 5s
During the month Of June II cents