The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-07-13
LAND is IN
DEMAND
Reason Why Number Of
Contests Of Entries
is Increasing.
HUNGRY HOMESTEADERS ROAM
NORTHERN WOODS.
Settlers Find it Necessary to.
Live Up to Law
Strictly.

Live Up to Law
Strictly.
Records at the Duluth United
States land office show that as
time advances there is a CON
tinued increase in the number
Of people appearing to contest
the rights of the Northern Min
nesota homesteader. It was not
many years ago that such con-
tests were instituted only on very
rare occasions in the extreme
northern counties of the state,
due to the fact that there was
SO much good land remaining un-
taken that anyone so desiring
might pick out and file on a valu-
able claim without contesting the
alleged rights of some other
settler in the territory.
A great change has been
wrought in a comparatively short
time by the big influx of settlers
and land seekers into the north
ern woods. The fact that valu-
able government farm and tim
Der lands were lying idle in this
section of the state became gen
orally known through the cen
trail West three or four years
ago, and when the people came
to realize this to be a fact, the
wild rush for Western lands was
checked to certain degree and
attention was turned to the more
convenient territory in Mime
sofa. The result was that the
best of the available lands were
soon filed on. Now this entire
district, with the exception of
unsurveyed and unopened town
ships and Indian reservations,
is pretty well taken up.
This fact does not discourage
the average locator, however.
He knows that to the watchful
there are many opportunities
for contest. Unquestionably
there are many abuses of the
homestead laws, and the locator
is we'll aware that many men,
and woman too, file on a piece of
land and neglect it afterwards,
not living up to the provisions of
the homestead laws in several
particulars, trusting to luck in
gaining final possession of the
land.
There was a time when such
methods were successful, but
this time is past. Northern land
is becoming valuable. There
are men who are contin ually on
the lookout to get possession of
some for themselves, or to locate
some on which others may be
placed. When claim is dis
covered on which tits found the
original entryman has neglected
to live up to the homestead laws,
the right Of the entryman to the
land is contested, and if it can be
proved to the satisfaction of the
land office officials that he has
been too lax in complying with
the provisions regarding resi-
dence that are necessary to per-
feet title, the entry is cancelled
aud the man who started the
contest is given a chance to make
entry on the claim.
Such contests will probably be
more numerous this year in the
Duluth district than ever before,
because of the number of land
seekers disappointed at recent
sales of Northern Minnesota
land, the one at Thief River
Falls, in particular. Many per-
sons found that the piece of land
they had decided upon was pur-
chased by someone else, leaving
them to look elsewhere. In
many instances these would be
purchasers turn their attention
to neglected claims, and are now
being piloted about the woods by
cruisers and locators, looking
for and opportunity to contest
the alleged rights of the home
steader. Advices from northern
counties have it that the woods
are literally full of land seekers.
The result is sure to be an un-
usually large number Of con-
tests.
Kicks On Train Service.
The village of Kelliher boasts
the most abominable train SER