The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-11-17
RRGB[E DISTRICTS Of SOUTH DAKOTA
A Hint of What the Future has in Store for this State-Ske1ch
of the Belle Fourche Project-PossabiIites in that District
W~onderful-Other hrigabe Areas
The Most Productive Section of the State a Little Hill. We
Valley in the Black HiIs-WonderfuI Results Obtained
There in Fruit Raising and Truck Farming
(y FRED G. HUNTINGTON, Editor of the ABERDEEN AMER1cASl

of the ABERDEEN AMERICANl
in the district to a depth of two feet.
OF the 80, 900 acres of land subject
to reclamation $4,000 is government
land, ALSO state school land and the
balance is owned by private parties.
The government land will be open for
homestead entries in the spring, the
state land will probably to sold under
conditions similar to those imposed by
the government on homeSteaders in
irrigible sections.
The present plan is to allow those
who desire to do so to file on 50 acres
of irrigible land and, in some
cases, on so acres of high and
non-irrigible land where it can be so
arranged. The government has set
aside an entire section, however, for a
townsite and within three miles Of it
entries a be made on only 40 acres.
The lots in the townsite will be sold
at auction and under certain reStric-
tions which will be directed toward
the elimination of speculation, as far
as possible. Should the demand for
the irrigible land be greater than is
now expected it is likely that the
quantity given to one may be reduced,
making it go further, so to speak.
SPECTATORS NOT FAVORED
Every possible means has been
taken to prevent spectators from
reaping the benefits from the under
taking. In the first place, actual,
continuous residence on the land is
required and a claim shanty, once-in-
siX-months sort of a deal won't work.
In the second place one man cannot
get water for more than l60 acres of
land and, again, a man must actually
work his own land in order to get
water. A corporation or an individ-
ual, therefore. cannot secure water
for a large tract of land and put rent
ers on it. Best of all, the commuta-
tion privilege cannot be taken ad.
vantage of in getting title to irrigible
land. The entryman must actually
live on it for five years and in order to
get water he must cultivate it and,
last of all, he must pay back to Uncle
Sam his share of the money expended
ON this project it amounts to from
$50 to 1874 an acre, depending on the
total expense when completed but it
canl.ot exceed 1874 an acre. An entry
man is allowed ten years in which to
do this after he has been supplied
with water. There is no annual
water tax and when then cost of
the water per acre is paid the water
right passes as a part of the land and
the title to it is perfect. The annual
expense thereafter to a user of water
will be only such an amount as may be
required for repairs, caretaker at the
dams etc; possibly a few cents an
acre. The repairs will not amount to
much as the work the government is
doing is Of the most permanent and
lasting character known to modern
science.
THE NEW TOWN
When the new town starts up for
business it will have a nice little cash
balance to its credit for all the money
received from the sale Of lots will be
turned into the treasury to be ex-
pended for public improvement. Mr..
Walters informed me that a sugar
company, q of the big ones, is ready
to put in a 100000 sugar beet fac
tory as soon as the water is ready for
the land. The trolley line which will
be built from Spearish to Deadwood
and Lead will almost undoubtedly be
extended to Belle Fourche and the
new and, as yet, unnamed town. It
is quite likely to get both the North.
western and Milwaukee railroads also
as it will be the center of a great
freight producing district.
THEasPEARFIsH VALLEY
1t is just a nice three hours drive
from Belle Fourche to Spearfsh but
in that time you go from m kind of
a world to another. Belle Fourche is
a typical prairie town, wide open and
unashamed. Its looks spell hustle
and its newness bids defiance to the
sobriety and staidness which are sun
posed to come with age. 1t is too
busy to be much interested in the
irrigation projects and is credited with
having "no time" for Spearish. Be
that it may, Spearish is n of the
prettiest places ON earth.
Our party made most of the drive
from Belle Fourche to Speartsh after
dark and saw but little of the country
in between. 1t is about Is miles from.
q Town to the other, and after we
had gone what seemed twice that
distance we turned a corner and.
apparently, startedinto town through
a nice residence street. Tn fact 7