The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-08-09

the state of Delaware, containing ap'
proximately 1,5OO,O 900 acres of land
The government surveys are now in
progress and will be completed by
December of this year. Under the
terms of the bill opening this ser
walton to settlement, after the surveys
are completed and the plats have been
made and filed, the Indians now on
the reservation will first receive their
allotments OF lands, the same being
90 acres to each person holding tribal
relations with the Indians. The gov
eminent roll. will show about 2,10O
persons entitled to settlement; thus it
will take about 10000 acres of land
to allot the Indians. leaving about
1900, 600 acres for settlement. Until
the government surveys are completed
1t is impossible to tell how much of
these lands are fitted for cultiv alton.
Estimates are madeby various persons
who claim to have a thorough knowl.
edge of the reserv alton as to the ap-
proximate number of acres of agri.
cultural lands, and these estimates
run from $4,000 to 600, 900 acres sus-
ceptible of cultiv alton.
After the lands have been allotted to
the Indians, a commission consisting
of five persons will appraise the re-.
naming lands under the terms of the
bill, dividing them into frst.class ag-
ricultural lands, second class agri.
cultural lands, grazing lands and
timber lands. 1t is impossible to state
at this time what the appraisement
will be, but in the case of the Rose
bud reservation, opened to settlement
last year, the first-class lands we're
appraised at s. an acre: the Devils
Lake lands in Minnesota were ap.
praised at 81 SO an acre. The second.
class lands will naturally be fixed at
a lower valuation. Lands a be &C.
quired for the first five years after
opening by homestead entry alone:
one-third of the appraised valuation
must be paid at the time of the entry
and the remaining two-thirds in five
equal annual installments, without in
In order to make entry it will be
necessary for a prospective home
stead seeker to register at either the
Missoula or the kalispell land office;
this, however, will not be done until
about the spring of 1907, as the lands
will not be opened for settlement until
about that time. The president will
issue q proclamation go days prior to
the date of the opening, which will be
printed in all of the Montana papers,
that due notice will be had OF the
time, place and method.
Each person registering is given a
certain number: these numbers are
placed in a wheel, and the first one
drawn has the first choice of all the
lands; the second one drawn has the
second choice, and SO on, until all the
are awarded. The proba-
bilities are that there will be about
5000 homesteads on the Flathead res.
erv alton that will be capable of cult.
walton. For five years after the open.
ing lands can only be entered by
homestead entry. 1t is supposed
that during that period all of the
available farming lands will be
taken. The lands that will be left
after the natural selection of farming
lands has been completed will be lands
fitted for grazing only; these will then
be sold to the settlers in tracts of 40
acres and sold under the provisions
of a special section of the act. Timber
lands r expressly reserved from set.
tlement. The timber will be estimated
in tracts Of 40 acres and sold under
sealed bids to the highest bidder.
This will enable each settler to secure
q tract of timber land il he so desires,
and it is hoped will prevent timber
lands from falling into the hands Of
spectators and the big lumber com.
panies.