The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-12-28
MANY HOMESTEADS
CHANGE OWNERSHIP
'hree-F ourths Of Men Who
Drew Claims Dispose
Of Them.
GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY
Is illegal, Technically, Vet oovernmen
Recognizes Fact That This Method
Gusts Spectators and Opens
Way for Agrieulturists.

Boncstecl. S. D.. Dec. :s.-ManS
claims upon the Rosebud have changed
hands since the opening. II Is a wei
known fact that perhaps thrce-fourths
of those who drew claims In the open
Jng had no thought OF making the
ikosebud their permanent home. They
filed upon the land merely as a spccula-
ton. These spectators are gradually
being wcedcd out, and farmers who de-
sire to- cultivate the and and make
their permanent residence thereon are
securing their claims. The spectators
scll out: hat ", they sell their reiin-
Nuishmcnt To- the quarter To the farmer
for So many hundred dollars. He a
his nling papers made out for the claim
land places them together with the first
Eettlcr's REIMBURSEMENT before the land
office officials at the same IN In this
manner when the REIMBURSEMENT goes
on record. his fling papers are aircSdy
made out and the next To gu on record
on that particular piece OF land. "
having become vacant upon the hrst
Scttler's REIMBURSEMENT being put on
record In the land Office. In this man
ucr "A large number OF the Rosebud
claims have been sold. While the sell
ing OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS is Technically
against the rulings OF the Interior de-
partment. that department realizes that
1t Is "a good thing for the country To
be opened, inasmuch as IL allows the
agricultural classes To get hold OF the
land sooncr than they could II n
spectators had To- prove up ON IL. Ev-
ery time "A REIMBURSEMENT IN turned IN
in this way the government gcS a
rakeom OF $50. too. which is To be con-
sidcrcd as a factor In the case. The
pcCond settler, too. always makes a bet
fer settler h the first.
The homestead law permits a settler
10 offer nnal proof on his homestead
after fourteen months ~ continuous
residence upon and cultivation OF the
same. The first six months OF con-
structive residence may be counted In
ms a part OF this time. so that to prove
mp one must actually reside on the land
eight months. quite a number OF the
settlers are proving up their claims at
this time. \ number. too, are advcr-
Used TO make Anal proof I'm January.
OF the total number OF settlers, per-
haps 80 per cent. are availing them
selves OF the right TO commutc-that
Is. prove up after fourteen months. or
course all balance due the government
for the land must be paid up
There are several iiourishing new
towns ON the Rosebud. Beginning with
the largest and named In their relative
size and Importance, they are: Greg
DRY. Burke. Hcrrick. Carlock, Dallas
and Dixon. All OF these are regular
government townsites except Dallas. IL
was started last winter on an Indian
allotment, but being located I'm the CEN
ter OF "A triangle made by three other
towns. It's territory Is necessarily quite
small.
Gregory In the largest and most i'm
portant and influential OF all the new
towns on the Rosebud. IL u located on
n splendid natural townsite In the CEN
ter OF n vast territory Of the best land
In the county and has enjoyed "A sure,
- md WNnH pNsnNNNh NrnnN Tho
beginning. Its location is To the west
near the line of Trip county, beyond
which lies the great unopened portion
OF the Rosebud reservation.
In Trip county alone lies more than
n million acres OF u~nocCupied and un-
allotted government land, for the most
part leased To cattlemen as range for
their herds OF stock. IL IL expected that
his county. which In one OF the best
for soil. water and grass in the whole
state. will be thrown open To settlers
within the next four or nve years.
Gregory is but Ave miles from the
Tripp county line. II Is therefore the
frontier town and the natural gateway
for rhe great reservation TO the west.
when Trip county Is opened Greg
DRY will be the Bonesteel OF h open
Ing, except that she Will become "A much
more important place; the unopened
tract OF government land IA Trip
county which would become subject To
homestead entry In the wen OF the
opening being nearly three times as
large as the tract 81 Rosebud land
thrown open last year In Gregory
county.
Burke and Hcrrick are both good
towns. Though not 30 large as Greg
DRY they ARE both f"iourlshing young
cities and like IL are located ON the line
OF survey OF thc Chicago and North
western railroad west from Bnnesteel.
The surrounding territory IN large and
their trade exceptionally good. Burke
can boast OF the best hotel nccommo-
dations I'm the county. She likewise has
"A furniture store that would do credit
To a city the size Of Mitchell or YAM
ton. She also has the most complete
and ~up-to-date drug store on the rescr-
walton.
Curlock and Dixon are both thriving
little towns u good trading points.