Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-08
OPENING OKLAHOMA LANDS
THE LONG-AWAITED PRESIDENTS
PROCLAMATION.
Method of Making Entry and Select
ing Sites AnnOunced-The Draw
ing of Lots.

President McKinley's proclamation OPEN
ing to settlement the lands ceded by In
dams in the territory of Oklahoma has been
made public. The proclamation covers the
cession made by the Wichita and affiliated
bands of Indians in accordance with the
act of Marcn 2, 1895, and those made by
the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes
in pursuance of the act of June 6, 1900. The
proclamation provides for the opening of
the lands in those reservations which are
not reserved at o'clock am. on the 9th of
August next, the lands to be open to set
tlement under the homestead and town site
laws of the United States.
The Repatriation.
The proclamation says that beginning on
the 10th instant and ending on the Goth
those who wish to make entry Of land I'M
der the homestead law shall be registered.
The registration will take place at the land
offices at Reno and Lawton. The registra-
ton at each office will be for both land dis
tricts To obtain registration each appli-
cant will be required to show himself duly
qualified to make homestead entry of these
lands under existing laws and to give the
registering officer such appropriate mat
tiers of description and identity as will pro-
tect the applicant and the government
against any attempted impersonation. Reg
iStration cannot be effected through the use
of the mails or the employment Of an
agent. excepting that honorably discharged
soldiers and sailors may present their APP
plications through an agent, no agent be-
ing allowed to represent more than one SOL
der. No person will be allowed to register
more than once After being registered ap-
plicants will be given certificates allowing
them to go upon the ceded lands and exam
inc them in order to aid them in making an
intelligent selection. 1t is explicitly stated
that mo person will be permitted to make
settlement upon any of the lands in adj
vance Of the opening provided for" and the
statement is added. that during the first
sixty days following said opening no one
but registered applicants will be permitted
to make homestead settlement upon any OF
said lands and then only in pursuance of a
homestead entry duly allowed by the local
land officers, or Of a soldiers declaratory
statement duly accepted by such officers"
The Drawing.
The order of the applications is to be de-
termined by drawing, the plan for which is
described as follows:
''The order in which. during the first six
ty DAYS following the opening. the regis
tered applicants will be permitted to make
homestead entry of the lands opened here
under will be determined by drawings for
both the Ell Reno and Lawton districts
Office at Ell Reno, Oklahoma, commencing
at 8 O. clock g. m. Monday, July %. 1901. and
continuing for such period as may be nee
essary to complete the same: The draw
ings will be under the supervision and i'm
mediate observance Of a committee of three
persons whose integrity Is such as to make
their control Of the drawing guaranty Of
It's fairness The members OF this commit
tee will be appointed by the Secretary of
the Interior. who will prescribe suitable
compensation for their services. Prepare
tory to these drawings the registration off,
GERS will, at the time of registering each
applicant who shows himself duly quail
fed, make out a card, which must be
signed by the applicant, stating the land
district IN which he desires to make home
Of the applicant as will enable the local
land officers to thereafter identify him.
This card viii be Ct once sealed In . sep