River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-03-17
Opening of Indian Reservations
To Homestead Entry.

Last fall 80 townships of agricul-
tural land were opened to home
stead entry near Red Lake in north
Lern Minnesota and IL more town.
ships recently. Bills are pending in
Congress providing for the opening
of 10000 acres in the Rosebud In
dian reservation across the Missouri
river in South Dakota; large tract
near Devils Lake, in the Devils
Lake Indian reservation in North
Dakota; and the south half of the
Collville Indian reservation in cen
trail Washington, north of the CO.
lumbia river. The lands in the lat
ter reservation are considered among
the best agricultural areas in the
state of Washington. The climate
is mild and there is sufficient rainfall
for the maturing of cultivated crops
The lands to be opened in North
and South Dakota are in the semi
arid region where the raising of cul-
tivated crops cannot be depended
upon. Where people have located
above the Tooth meridian with the
object of farming they have been
disappointed in the results, many
after a few years residence becom-
ing SO discouraged they abandoned
their homesteads and moved away.
Census statistics show that there are
not as many people in the west half
of Nebraska as were there in the
census year of 1890.
Concerning settlement in this dry
region the Secretary of Agriculture
says-in his annual report, Year
Book for 1899, page Coz:
zone of the most pitiful pages in
the history of the West is that which
records the story of the settlement
of the semi-arid belt lying between
the ninety-seventh meridian and the
foothills of the Rocky mountains
This is territory 500 miles wide,
extending from Canada to Mexico,
including the western portions OF
the two Dakotas. Nebraska, Kansas
and Texas, and also eastern Colo
RADIO. In the absence of scientific
demonstration to the contrary, tens
of thousands of people rushed into
this territory under the delusion that
it was land of reliable rainfall, OF
would soon become such as result
of settlement and cultivation.
New settlements sprung up in
every direction, and important towns
arose almost in night. Men
fastened from all parts of the coun-
try to claim their rights under the
homestead law. Remembering the
prosperity which similar armies Of
settlers had wrung from the virgin
soil of the West, unlimited capita
lent willing support to this new out
ward surge of growing population
The capital was largely lost, but the
pathetic side of the picture was seer
in the bitter disappointment of the
settlers themselves. Many of them
| wasted the most useful and pregnant
years of their lives in their. brave
persistence in the belief that the eli.
mate would change as the land
came under cultivation, and thai
there was some magic potency IN
the homestead law to overcome the
processes of nature. 1t IS recognized
at last that where water sufficient
for purposes of irrigation can not be
had the land is useful only for graz.
ing. 1t is a mistake for the Gov
eminent to offer to citizens land o.
that character on condition that they
will settle upon go acres of it anc
make a living. There can be but
one of two results-either the settler
must fail or he must become practi-
cally the tenant of the person OF
corporation furnishing water fol-
his dry land.