The Dolores star., 1903-07-10
Land Board Proceedings.

The state land board, at its weekly
meeting July LIST. decided that in the
future no land should be sold for res
ervoir sites for less than $40 an acre
In the past the land has rarely been
sold for over IS an acre. but the sites
are becoming more valuable every day.
as the interest in irrigation and the
storage of water increases. and the
board does not believe it wise to sell
land for less sum when in three or
four years its value will be doubled.
The board sold two reservoir sites
in Weld county at $40 an acre and
two quarter sections of land adjoining
Steamboat Springs. Forty acres in
Frowers county were sold to F. d. Ev-
eritt. who has lived on the land for
eight years.
The board ordered the sale of 10000
feet OF lumber in Boulder county, on
the ground that it had matured and
could not be of use much longer. and
refused to sell 1890 acres of timber
land in Park county.
A lease II lG0 acres of land in Pueblo
coanty, granted to Former Governor
James b. Orman some years ago, was
cancelled. The former governor had
never used the land. and thought that
the lease had been cancelled soon after
1t was made.
AL! members of the board deny the
report that advantage was taken of
Mrs. Grenfell's absence to sell the land
near Steamboat Springs. Attorney Cen
eral Miller, member of the board, ex-
planned the action of the board by say
ing that whenever state land is so sold,
the first act of the board is to order
the sale at minimum price. Subse-
Guenty report Of the sale is made,
and II the board sees proper the sale is
confirmed.
In this case the land involved was
two quarter sections adjacent to the
town of Steamboat Springs. lying on a
mesa far above where 1t is practicable
to irrigate anything. The board was
asked to sell 1t so that 1t might be
made an addition to the town. When
the order of sale was made Mrs. Gren-
fell was present and voted with the
other members in favor of making the
sale. A minimum price of $25 an acre
was placed on the land and at that
price the sale was subsequently made.
All that the board did during Mrs.
Grenfells absence was to confirm this
sale, which she had previously voted
for. The price received was good
one, considering the fact hat the land
lies on a mesa far above the possibility
of irrigation. 1t could never have been
sold for that sum If 1t had not been
that the purchasers wanted to add It
to the town of Steamboat Springs.
Governor Peabody emphatically de-
nies the report recently circulated that
he was interested in the tract of land
recently sold to the penitentiary COM
mission at Canon City The governor
says that about a year and a half ago
he loaned Surveyor General Handy
81 900 on third interest in the land
AS 1t was covered by mortgage, he
did not wish to take a second mort
gage. and so had Mr.. Handy execute
warranty deed. which was placed in
the bank at Canon City In which the
governor Is interested. and there re-
mained until the sum was repaid. The
governor asserts that 1t was only n
matter of business between the bank
and Mr.. Handy. and that he had never
at any time had dollar in the land
or ever paid dollars worth Of taxes
on 1t.
Dairy comnrissioner's Report.
Mrs. Mary Wright, state dairy corn-
missioner. in her quarterly report to
the governor. says she has not been
able to make any tpSta ~ lnua,, -