The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-05-23
CATTLE RANCHES FREE
Large Tracts Of Land In Ne
braska For Homesteaders.
EXCELLENT PAsTURAaB FOR STOCK

United states Government WIN give
Away over Eight million Acres.
GIFTS VIII Drive out the Cattle
Barons and Give Poor Persons a
Chance FOR Free Homes.
"A Nebraska cattle ranch one mile
square absolutely free is the offer
which the government is preparing to
make to every man or head Of a fam
liz in the United States, says a special
dispatch from Omaha, Neb.. to the
New York Herald. As there are 1914,
757 Of these acres from which selec-
ton may be made any ore desiring to
become the possessor Of 640 acres of
fine grazing land win have no trouble
finding a tract which is suited to his
taste.
This land has recently been opened
in these large tracts by the Kinkaid
bin, which passed congress ana was
signed BY the president Of the United
States on the last day Of the recent
session. and the law becomes opera
tive on June &c, 1904. On and after
that date these s,s44,757 acres, most
Of which comprise as fine grazing land
as there is in the world, viii be open
to the public as homesteads. AS an
example Of the quality Of some of this
land there are in Rock county 220,302
acres Of public lands, and yet at one
railroad station in that county there is
more hay shipped to market than at
any other railroad point in the whole
world.
The lands affected by the Kinkaid
bin have been open for homesteading
in lots Of 100 acres each for many
years, but not being suitable for agri-
cultural purposes and 100 acres not
being large enough on which to raise
cattle the lands have never been taken
up by homesteaders. However, a
square mile Of this land viii furnish
pasturage and feed for 100 head Of
cattle throughout the entire year.
Great tracts Of this land have been
fenced BY the cattle barons Of Nebras- |
ka, and it was TO have these illegally |
fences removed that the
last year sent Colonel |
Mosby, the former Confederate cavalry |
leader, into the state to enforce the law |
these fences. It is said that /
one ranch. with headquarters at Ellis
worth, Neb., had under such fencing
nearly 100000 acres Of government
land There were dozens Of other great |
ranches which also included hundreds
Of thousands Of government land with
Ing their fences.
But the Kinkaid bill sounds the
deathknell Of the cattle barons, whose
herds of thousands roamed over the
ranges, more efectually than any fence
removal order which the president
might promulgate With settlers from
III parts of the United States focking
h and taking homesteads Of GAO acres
each the public domain in Nebraska is
4 thing of only few months more,
md then. without the necessary lands
upon which to Craze their herds, the
.attle barons must 20 out Of business.
This Is the last large distribution Of
good land which the United States
will ever make. 1t has
ong been recognized that the great
plains of Nebraska constituted the best
body Of public lands extant, and with
he transfer into private hands passes
he last chance Of the poor to get free
homes In anything like large numbers.
1t is only the poor man who can
this land that is. any man
)wning more than 100 acres Of any
Kind of land anywhere in barred from
In the Nebraska land dis
-rbution. According to the provisions
# the law any person who is the head
If family and who is a citizen Of the
United States may take up a home
stead, provided he is not already the
owner Of more than 100 acres Of land.
Single women who wish to take a
homestead must be Of age. ANY young
nan more than twenty-one years may
De a homesteader" The law requires
Zach person to make oath that he has
examined the land for which
ie applies
Tie government makes no charge
whatever for the land provided the
lives upon It for FIVE
rears.