The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-05-05
LAND TO BE GIVEN Away

Lard Valued at $4,000, 600 osbi
Given Away at One Drdwing--
Land Considered Valuable.
BoNEsTEHL, S. d., May l. Especially :
Uncle Sam is no longer rich enough tc
give every one farm, for there isn't
land enough to go round but when ir
this later generation, he does start into
the real estate presentation business he
does the handsome thing.
Within few days before July 1, next
he will open the finest prize package Of
lands he has ever presented to his
416,O0O acres, constituting the big Rose
bud reservation in South Dakota
Officers of the general land Office declare
that this is, in proportion to area, the
most valuable parcel of land ever thrown
open for settlement. .ss> = --ss
Uncle Sam doesn't believe in lotteries
either; but he is going to give away
one drawing over SS,000,000 when S,s
opens these lands. And there will 4 !
nobody to object to the plan.
Compared to the big reservations Of
Oklahoma, Indian Territory and the
southwest that have been opened in re-
cent years, the Rosebud tract is not
among the largest. Where it excels is
in value per acre. 1t has been held by
the Lower Brule Sioux Indians for many
years. They were too intelligent to want
to give away their holdings, and grad
ually the country around them settled
up, railroads We're constructed, towns
opened and splendid farms developed on
all sides of this insular country of alb
original conditions. 1t isn't SO small an
area, for there is more good. farming
land in it than there was in Rhode Is
land when Rodger Williams went there,
and as much as Delaware employees to
produce the peach crop. But for that
matter, no New England state would be
missed il it's area was carved out of the
half of South Dakota which lies west OF
the Missouri river. IS
The bill for opening the Rosebud
lands passed congress and was signed
by the president only the other day.
Mr.. Roosevelt had objected to it in the
original form, which proposed that So
per acre should be paid by settlers for
the lands. He said the lands were
worth a great deal more, and he was
right. The real estate men were adj
vertising them as worth $25 an acre
and as matter of fact much of the
reservation is worth up to $50 an acre,
aside from townsites. 1t is fair to say
that the entire reservation is worth the
81 which, as result of the presidents
insistence, was finally fixed as the upset
price, and then $50 more per acre.
The reservation lies along the west
bank of the Missouri, in southeastern
South Dakota, Nebraska being it's
southern border. It's boundaries are
almost the same as those of Gregory
county, and take in tract thirty miles
north and south by twenty-five miles
east and west, except that the north
east corner of the rectangle is cut off BY
the Missouri.
There will be 1000 farms of 100 acres
each. II there are not $4,000 applicants
for these, the land Office officials and the
real estate men in the surrounding
country will be disappointed. 1t is ex-
pected by everybody in the adjacent
states to be the greatest land opening
ever known in the country.
Bonesteel is the gateway to the res
ervation. There is no other town in
America like Bonesteel today. There
have been others, but they are no
longer in existence.
Bonesteel is the terminus of a rail
road line seventy-five miles long which
the Chicago & Northwestern system
built, three years ago in anticipation OF
the opening, which was then expected
to take place at once. The town grew
within few weeks from section of un-
broken prairie to city of 1000 people
The railroad could not haul material
fast enough to keep the builders at
work. Three banks were started, and
built good brick blocks at the various
speculative "maih corners" of the town
The rest of the town-stores, ware.
houses, residences, hotels, saloons, gam
bling establishments, ,dives-everythine
that makes up the ensemble of from
tier mushroom city, was of boards OF
tents. Circus tents were erected tc
serve as hotels, and hundreds of people
lived for months in them.
But the reservation was not opened
The Indians would not sign the neces.
sary contract to dispose of their herit-
age, and plans failed. Bonesteel lived
almost three years on atmosphere and
hopes. 1t had no business except brok-
erage in prospects. People deserted
after congress had adjourned without
passing the opening act, almost as fast
as they had come.
Then after two years, the Indians gave
their consent. The government took
over the lands. All that remained was
to pass bill for their opening, and this
has taken year. But now it is law
Bonesteel has it's nerve, it's prospects
restored and it's population is coming
back by special trains. 1t is the "hot.
test" town out of doors and the temper.
ature rising every hour. 1t has more
saloons, bigger poker games and more
confidence in it's future than Chicago
For will it not be the distributing point
through which the $4,000 Inhabitants ol
the new country must enter and through
which they must receive their household
goods, their stock, their lumber to build
houses, their everything that in the nex1
six months after July will convert the
reservation into developed country?
The general land office is empowered
to decide how the land shall be opened
and the only thing known for certainty
/ is that it will not be by one of the nic