Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-08-23
BETTER LANDS HERE.

A few weeks ago, it is estimated that
at least 1884, persons rushed to Bone
steel, 5. ID to secure claims at the open
| ing of the Rosebud Indian reservation.
and perhaps as many more were on the
Red Lake reservation in Minnesota at
the opening of those lands. These fig
ures and the newspaper accounts of the
eagerness of those people tosecure lands
look curious to us people of Northern
Wisconsin. In the Rosebud reservation
Zoo quarter sections of land were sold
by the government-not near enough tc
give each applicant claini-and it is
said that of this less than 1000 quarter
section is worth over 81 per acre, the
amount it sold for.
Any or all of those who were lucky
in their drawing tthe Rosebud lands
were awarded by lottery could have
done far better by coming to Northern
Wisconsin and investing their money
in lands in Marathon, Lincoln, Forest,
Oneida or many other counties that
are practically undeveloped. They
might pay little more bit they would
not be getting plat of ground soaked
with alkali water, covered with sage
brush, with no fuel and miles away
from q market, and on whicns the best
crops raised are cyclones and blizzards. |
1t is true that there is but little govern
ment or state land left in this section,
and most of what was once the public
domain has now passed into the hands |
of private individuals, some having
large holdings of the finest kind of land |
that can be bought at reasonable |
figures. On many of these lands the |
most valuable timber has been re-
moved but there are thousands of acres
Of dense groves of hemlock, and hard
wood, which when cut can be sold in
markets easy of access at prices that
will more than pay for clearing
Again there are thousands of acres of
cut-over lands, from which the pine
has been removed, but good growth
Df fuel timber left, which lands are
adapted to farming pur-
poses. 1t costs more energy and
patience to make farm here, but right
lere in Marathon county new settler
las something to sell at every season of
he year, something to dispose of for
'eady cash. While the prairie farmer
s sitting around his stove during the
winter season, the Marathon county I
armer is busy hauling logs, wood, {
'ark, bolts or other wood products to
own in exchange for money. That is
me advantage. {
There is no better country in the
world for the raising of live stock than $
Northern Wisconsin. 1t is well watered t
y streams of cold running water and |
long great many streams are $
leadow lands on which countless I
of tons of hay go to waste
very year There are never any Q
pidemics among live stock and all 0
nimals thrive well. Many people b
wing in Marathon county bought land i
hen they first came here for from So j
S3 per acre that cannot be purchased P
ow for $35 per acre. As population {
lcreases land will increase in value. s
he man who owns quarter section in p
larathon county is king compared D
18th the wage Garner, and the city man ,
no possesses piece of land is making Il
revision for the future 1t will be a t;
afuge in old age or in the adversity of
anicy times, and will be heritage for
is children.
Since the writer has lived in Wausau
g has known of many instances where v
.milies have moved out of the county v
} the far West or some other section, N
ever to return-so they said But e;
ter a short residence in their new "
ome they proved the truth of the old r.
lage that "chickens come home to h
'ost," and returned, and nothing n
lort of vigilance committee could
i've them away again. They got one
sson in the school of experience, and
ough costly it was of value to them.
N0W H0MMkNnCp nC TUE lot