The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-06-22
new RUSH IS ON FOR
GOVERNMENT !! LAND
Grow Reserve Registration
Opens With Thousands of
Recommendations in Line.
A MILLION FINE ACRES
lncomin9 Trains Add to the Multitude
Of homeseekers-Shoshone In
dams Soon to Contribute An
jt other Reservation.

Billings. Mont. June 16.-Every de.
tail in the arrangement of registration
tor the opening Of the coded lands OF
the Big Crow reserve were completed
last night. The government officials
arrived on the belated trains and lane
Office windows were opened to the surg.
ing mass Of homeseekers at O'Clock
this morning.
AS early as o'clock this morning
line was formed in front of the lanG
office doors and hundreds Of men at
this early hour We'd with each other ir
their attempts to reach the registra.
ton window. Billings has assumed
holiday attire and has become a city
OF tents. They are on every vacant lot
and even in the more isolated streets
immense throngs of people from every
section of the country are already in
the city and every incoming train
brings an additional multitude. Indi-
cations at present are that at least
10000 will register in Billings alone.
At 10 o'clock this morning at least
1900 persons are in line.
Are 100000 Acres.
More than 1000, 900 acres Of land are
susceptible to entry at the present
time, and 10000 acres were withdrawn
last week to await the completion Of
the reclamation projects begun by the
government. A small army of special
policemen have been added to the reg
ular force and although many conf
dence men and graftcrs are in the city
perfect order prevails and no acts OF
laWlessness have occurred up to the
present time.
The segregated part of the reserva-
ton, which will be thrown open, con-
tains about 100000 acres and is sit
uated in the valley between the Big
Horn and Yellowstone rivers. The sec
ton begins at a point about twelve
miles cast of Billings, Mont, and
stretches along the south bank of the
Yellowstone for about sixty miles. Ad-
jacent to the eastern boundary of the
land is the valley Of the Yellowstone.
Registration began today and will
continue until the 2sth. These regis
trations will be taken at the towns of
Sheridan, Wyo., and Billings and Miles
City, Mont. The drawings will be held
July 2. at Billings.
The land will be open to settlers I'M
der the national homestead, reclama-
ton, townsite and mineral grants OF
the 100000 acres about 100000 acres
are agricultural lands. The rest is des-
ignated as grazing and mineral land.
Two Indian Reservations.
Some confusion has arisen over the
be opened for settlement this year.
They are the Grow reservation in Mon
tana, and the Shoshone or Wind River
reservation in Wyoming. There is also
an erroneous belief in the minds of
many persons that they can take
chances in each opening. They cannot.
Under the law, any form of an entry
may be relinquished in whole or in
part. A person complying with the law
and acting in good faith may offer fol-
sale and sell his right and improve
ments and such offer is no ground 70.
contest.
The time limit for locating after the
drawing depends upon the time allowed
by the representatives of the govern
ner occupies in the draw. The drawing
proceeds by numbers and if the holder
of a certain number is not ready at the
time his name is called, he loses his
turn.
AS regular troops are to be present
and in control it is not anticipated that
there will be any trouble over claims
such as being driven off a desirable 10
cation by force of arms.
The registration for the Shoshone res
ervation will begin July l. under the
proclamation of the president and con
tinue until July 81, at Lander. Sho
shoni, Thermopolis and Wiesland
Wyo., if the railroad reaches the latter
town in time. The drawing will occur
at Lander beginning August and end
ing August Is, when the entries will be
gin at the rate of 100 daily for twelve
days and then at an average rate OF Isl
day until the entire number of en-
tries, aggregating 5000, have been filed