The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1904-11-23
FORESTS In MINNESOTA.
The Pine Lands Of the Chippewa Indians
Being Made Remunerative.

4
stands alone as the only forest re-
serve ever created by act of con-
gress, not by presidential proclama
ton. Executive authority is limit
ed to those public lands which have
not been otherwise appropriated.
The Minnesota reserve is a part of
the land formerly set aside for the
Chippewa Indians, and hence was
not public land subject to presiden-
tial action. Congress alone bad
control of this land Tt passed a
law in 1902 known as the Morris
bill, " regulating the sale of the pine
.timbers on the 100000 acres ced-
ed to the government by the In
dians and setting aside 225, 900
acres of it as forest reserve.
In addition, certain specified
tracts and all of the islands in Cass
and Leech lakes were reserved as
Indian lands, together with 6,400
acres more to be designated by the
bureau of forestry and reserved alb
solutely for both sale and settle
ment. OF the 225, 900 acres 200, 600
must be selected from land classed
as ''pine land and the remaining
%, 900 acres from land classed as
agricultural land" The selection
of all this was also assigned to the
same bureau. The G, 400 acres chos-
en- lie along the east and south
shores of Cass lake, and all around
an arm of this lake extending south
ward, called Pike bay, and four or
FIVE small lakes Immediately south of
it. Nature has made the locality
exceedingly attractive, and reserv-
ing it from the ak and settlement
will keep from destruction the will
derness beauty of these lakes, set
in forests of virgin pine.
OF the 225,OOO acres, the bureau
has already selected 1O5. 900, lying
in fairly compact body northeast,
east and southeast of Cass lake.
The selection of the remaining $780,
600 awaits the the completion of the
Indian allotments to be made in that
region, and theS delineation by the
war department. of the exact fiowage
lines for the areas that will be sub
merged when the water reaches the
legal height behind it's two dams,
already constructed.
The law requires that on the 200,
900 acresof pine land 50 per centofthe
pine should be Immediately cut,
leaving 8 per cent for reforestation.
Far better results would have fol-
lowed had the law provided for the
protection from cutting of % or 30
per cent, but 5 per cent was all that
could be obtained at the time the
Morris bill was passed.
The law of 1889 provided for the
sale of the land and the pine at the
same time The law of 1902 separ-
ated the two. The pine was to be
sold, but the denuded land was to
be classed as agricultural and to be
opened to homestead sale and settle
ment, except that portion destined
for a forest reserve Great care
was taken to prescribe such meth
DDS of sale as would permit the real
ization Of the highest possible price
for the timber, the proceeds togo tc
the Indians. Briefly put, therefore,
the intent of the law was to secure
for the Indians the full market
price for the timber sold, to provide
against the destruction of a forest
part of which might advantageously
be made permanent by leaving q
small percentage OF the merchant.
able trees, and to open to agricul-
tural use the land suitable for this
purpose.
The pine timber of the los, 00(
acres already selected by the bur,
leau has been sold, subject to the
FIVE per cent. reservation clause
It brought better price than die
similar timber outside the reserve
sold without such restrictions. The
bureau has marked on $4,000 acres
the FIVE per cent. of trees which are
to be left standing, and the work o
marking the remainder is rapidly
going forward. It is estimated tina
lit will require three or four year:
to remove the timber from the land:
already selected, and that twill b