Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-05
PRIZE HERE FOR EVERYONE
shOshoni Drawing Will Reward All Who
Registered for Land.
EARLY NUMBERS WILL Be RICH ONES
Railroad Demand for TOwnsites Indf-
cate that at Least the First
Four Selections Will BE
worth Money.

sHOsHONI. wyo., Aug. 4.-(special)-
Every one draws a prize" appears TO be
the outcome, II it was not the promise OF
the Shonshone Indian land lottery. When
the registrations closed on the night OF the
last day of July, with but few over 10000
names on the government list consid-
cradle number of whom. If the experience
Of past land drawings is to be considered
a criterion, will never take the trouble
even to draw number, it was practically
announced that there were enough home
steads to go around. This means that in
a measure the opening of the reservation
was failure. 1t means, however, that
those plucky ones who, in their hunger
for a piece of Mother Earth. took the tire
some journey of something over twenty
| four hours from Denver or Omaha or OF
approximately forty hours from Chicago,
Kansas City, st. Louis or St. Paul, will
be rewarded, in greater or less degree,
according to their luck in the drawing
No. 1, at least, will draw a prize worth
having. OF the 100000 acres which were
coded by the Shoshones and Arapahoes. 1t
| is q mooted question which particular
| quarter section is the most desirable. 1t is
considered certain, wherever It is, that the
| be used for agricultural purposes. Not
withstanding that every possible effort is
| made by the land department to render 1t
| difficult to transfer a claim, townsite COM
| panies and others are anxiously awaiting
the opportunity to get possession OF a few
choice sites and big price will undoubt-
eddy be paid for at least one location.
spot Picked by Wise Ones.
One spot which has been picked by a
! few enthusiasts who know the reservation
well is in the center of magnificent ex-
panse of bench land some twenty miles
west of Shoshoni. Its champions say that
! II is the natural point for the crossing of
! the Northwestern line from east to west
| and the Burlington line from north to
south. They predict that It is destined to
be the site of a city that in few years
will be the capital Of Wyoming With two
trunk lines, giving it an outlet to the four
points of the compass, and situated about
! the center of the 100000 acres Of agricul-
tural land under the two big canals which
the state is preparing to build, nothing can
prevent the growth OF an important agrl-
cultural city.
Sixty miles west of Shoshoni, in the vi
cinity OF Grow Heart butte, on the Big
| Wind river, is a site which is destined, ac-
| cordlng to its champions, to become the
site of one of the big mining camps of the
west. In this vicinity are located some of
| the finest coal lands I'm the state and in adj
dition splendid specimens OF gold ore have
| been brought from the Owl mountains close
by. Now that the Indians are giving place
| to the white man the exploitation of the
mineral resources of these hills will be more
thorough. and a gold camp as we'll as a
| coal camp are possibilities of the future.
A city here would also stand midway be-
tween the headgates of the two big state
! irrigating canals, which will insure a large
agricultural territory for It to draw from.
Building stone and lumber are in abundance
! within easy access.
A third site is where the Little Wind
river Joins the Big Wind river, thirty miles
below shoshoni. Here is a beautiful piece
of level land, measuring almost exactly 100
acres, and practically all contained within
one-quarter section, lying between the two
streams, with many trees and good grass.
With ample water supply, natural water
grades in three directions, and with an
| abundance OF good building stone in the
nelghborhoOd, adjoining the extension OF
! the Northwestern railway now under con-
struction, this is an ideal site for a city
Asmus BOysen's Plans.
Asmus Boysen, who has repeatedly
clashed with tho United States government
in consequence OF his persistent efforts to
get TO work on the Indian lands before the
date for their opening to settlement, has
selected a site where the river enters the
canyon twelve miles from Shoshonl. From
this quarter section, which covers both
banks OF Wind river Boysens nifty EN-
ployes were evicted by a detachment OF
cavalry while the registrations were in
progress. ten days ago. If he is not de-
barred as a sooner" Boysen intends to IN
stall here an immense water plant and fur
nsh power which will not only operate a
large smelter for the Copper mountain
country surrounding IL. but also generate
light and power for Shoshoni, and perhaps
other nearby towns When the soldiers OF
Uncle Sam unceremoniousy interfered with
the work Boysen's men were preparing to
build this power plant and when evicted
left their drills on the ground.
These four sites will probably be selected
by Nos. /. 2, and 4 in the lottery, but in
which order is a question.
The failure OF the Shoshone reservation
opening TO attract a larger number of land
hungry people to Wyoming is ascribed to
the general lack Of information regarding
the value OF irrigated lands and also 70
the fact that many were undoubtedly de-
TERED by a realization Of the fact that the
bulk OF the agricultural land would be OF
little value until something like $50 an acre
had been expended 20 bring the water 10
II. Onicials OF the land once say that the
land here is exceptionally sood-sbOve the