Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-08
STORE

Office district in the state, and the most
promising to the homesteader. Within the
territory above described more land has
been entered, more filings made and more
settlers have established their residences
than in any of the land districts of the
state since the Kinlaid act became opc-
rative on June g. 1901. Since that timo
l,5S5,37S acres of land have been filed upon
in the above tract. OF this, 81, 5z3 acres
was entered between June Is, 1904, and the
last day of that year; SIS, 452 acres was
entered during the year 1905, and 37s. 4O3
entered during the first eleven months of
the present year. And within the boun-
daries Of this same district during the
period OF time between June %, 1904, and
December /, 1906 10000 acres have become
vacant, through REIMBURSEMENT, cancella-
ton by contest or other reasons.
Since this Kinkaid homestead law took
effect, 3,G43 people have made filings within
the present boundaries Of the North Platte
district, and from the filings, final proofs
and other fees allowed by law. the United
States has gained a revenue of S93.95S.sS.
summary for Year
On July l, 1896, the officials of the land
office of this city prepared their summary
and recapitulation for the fiscal year, which
ended on that date At that time this re-
port showed the following number of acres
vacant in the respective counties towit:
Banner, 10000; Cheyenne, 12OS5O; Custer,
l,O40; Deuel. 5000; Keith Al, s67; KimbaIl,
1884, Lincoln 39O7O; Logan. 62S2; Nc
Pherson, 67,6s2; Perkins, sos; Scott's Blur,
% $50, total OF 5l9211 acres. The acreage
Of vacant land, since the date OF that re-
port, has been gradually and slowly de-
creasing. The cancellations which take
place by reason Of contests and relinquish-
ments almost keep pace with the new en-
tries, The land yet unentered is located at
greater distances from the railroads, and
is. for that reason, not 80 desirable. Fur
thermore, It is land which has been ex-
amined and refused by entrymen, because
better land could be secured.
Those who are more familiar with the
conditions and the settlements made by
the entrymen estimate that about one-third
Of those who have filed upon lands within
this district since the Kinllaid law took
effect have established their residence upon
their homesteads, while the remaining two
thirds, on account of being unable, for
different reasons to move their families
upon the land or, becoming discouraged,
have failed TO comply with the law. A
larger per cent OF those who have entered
land during the last twelve 10 eighteen
months have established their residences
upon the land. the reason. no doubt, being
that those who filed earlier, and partic-
ularly at the time of the large openings,
came IN the excitement that was current at
that time, and hundreds filed without hav-
ing seen the land and without any knowl-
edge in regard to the same. Stin their
entries cover the land, and in order for
the hOmeseeker OF today to get a right
to file upon the land he must first insti-
tute a contest against the entry and Sc
cure its cancellation, whereupon the con-
testant gains the preference right 10 enter
the land within thirty days after the can
collation., and this is the procedure which
is being adopted by large numbers in or
der TO gain better land than they could
get II they filed upon the sections which
are now vacant. Since the Kinkaid law
took effect 909 contests have been fled
against entries In this land once district
and every month a large number OF con-
tests are filed and tried.
RFinEE in Many Settlers.
The one-section homestead law has had
wonderful effect upon the development
I Of western Nebraska. Settlements have
been made throughout all Of the counties