The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-02-22
Rich State Lands.

Minneapolis Iournal: Noftll
Dakota enjoys a magnificent land
grant from congress. Through it
its public schools and colleges are
handsomely endowed. The Gus
tomary sections 16 and'36 were set
apart for school purposes and, also
66S, $50 acres were set aside for
special purposes, educational and
charitable. This large amount OF
land has been divided as follows:
Capitol building 10000 acres;
stat university and school OF mines
at Grand Forks, l26,0S0 acres; agg-
ricultural college, Fargo, 10000;
normal school, Mayville, $4,000;
deaf and dumb asylum, Devils
Lake, 10000; reform school at
Mandan 10000; hospital for insane
at Jamestown, 10000; soldiers
home at Lisbon, 10000. blind asy-
lum at Bathgata 10000; industrial
school at Glendale, 10000; scien-
tiic school at Wahpeton, 100000.
This special grant of land was al
most altogethar selected from gov
eminent lands in 1891 and 1892.
Some of the tracts then chosen
were sold last fall for prices as high
as $3O.7 Is an acre. AS the lands
could scarcely have been given
away then, the increase to more
than $50 in ten years is an obi ect
lesson to the man who is thinking
about buying cheap northwestern
lands but has not made up his
mind.
The entire North Dakota grant
of lands from the national govern
ment amounts to about 100000
acres.
1t was an especial mark of wis
dom in the constitution trainers
that they provided that no lands
granted to the state should be sold
for less than $40 an cre The
terms are as follows: One-ffth
payable at time of sale; one-fifth
ip five years; one-fifth in ten years
and one-tifth in fifteen years. the
balance in twenty years at q per
cent interest.
In the years 1S91-92-93 the state
sold 100000 acres of its school
lands in the Red River Valley
where even then the prices were
high Oh account Of the %extraordi-
nary fertility Of that valley and IT'S
opening up by the railways. The
average price was $l7.5O. This is
thought to be the highest average
price ever received by any state
for a large amount of school land,
to be used for agricultural pur-
poses. The next sale occurred in
November, 1901, when offerings
were made in twenty different coun-
ties in the state. There was then
sold about 10000 acres for which
the purchase price was ST., 4l3,059.-
65. Most of this land is situated
in counties where eight or nine
years ago there was plenty Of gov
ernment land. There is no free
land left in those counties today.
Some of the state land went at
$3O.75 an acre and large chunks
went at SIS to $25.
Altogether not one~-eleventh of
the North Dakota state lands have
been sold and vet. already. Il per-
manent school fund Of $780,
464.37 has been realized. OF this
amount about S2,657,S52 is draw
ing interest at 8 per cent per an
num and $1.392.6-1 at 4 per cent,
making an income from this source
for the support of the schools of
$2Q6. lO7, which is distributed to
the school districts of the state
pro rata according to the number
of children. The state also leases
land. During 1901 the leased
lands amounted to about 100000
acres. the income from which was
S72.191.24
Within a few years the state
school fund will amount to S15,-
100000.
These are important facts for
the prospective settler. In North
Dakota he will find himself in a
rich and solidly established state,
with splendid provision made. for
the education Of his children at