Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1906-04-20

Opening of shoshone Reservation.
The land of profitable opportunity
still lies open to the homesteader.
The western frontier is rapidly dis
appearing, but the homesteaders and
settlers still finds an occasional oppor-
tunity to pick up quarter section of
government land. One of the last
chances of this kind will be given by
Uncle Sam when the Wind River or
Shoshcne Indian Reservation lands
are thrown open to the homesteaders
some time this summer.
ssT "a. This tract of something over mil
lion acres is situated in central Wyo-
ming, just east of the jackson Hole
country and the Yellowstone Park
forest reserve.
In the mountains, elk, bear, deer and
other wild game have been most abun-
dant. 1t has been without railroad
facilities in the past, but the Wyoming
& Northwestern railway is now radidly
laying rails across Wyoming from Cas-
per. the present terminus of the North
western line, to Shoshoni, the new
town which has sprung up since the
reservation opening has been announce
ed and to Lander in the Lander Valley,
one of the richest spots in Wyoming,
where numerous small irrigated farms
produce forty to forty-five bushels of
wheat, two hundred bushels of pota-
toes, ard sixty bushels of oats to the
acre.
This new line of railway opens up
millions of acres of sheep and cattle
range. where the rich Buffalo grass
and gramma grass make the best pas
turags on earth, cutting like grain, so
that stock will fatten ON it in the
fall.
The new line passes through Wolton,
one of the biggest original wool shlpp-
ing points in the world, and will be
completed to Shoshoni within the next
sixty days or less.
Shoshoni is two and one-half miles
from the reservation border, and here
and at Lander the government will
probably establish land offices for
registration when the Indian lands are
thrown open.
The reservation has been inhabited
by a docile, law-abiding people, who
are engaged in farming in small way.
The most of them have taken up land
by allotment, preparatory to abandon
ing the reservation, and the govern
ment is encouraging the leasing OF
these Indian farms, which are very
choice lands, to white farmers.
The state of Wyoming controls the
waters of Wind River and little Wind
River. and the state engineers are
making surveys and preparing fol
irrigation projects under state super
vision, by which u large proportion o1
the reservation will be placed under
water and thereby made very valuable
Agriculture here without irrigation is
practically out of the question. anc
such lands as do not come under the
proposed ditch will be used for graz
ing lands, for which purpose they are
without superior.
If the state builds the irrigatine
canals now proposed, it will give al
opportunity for newcomers and settlers
to secure work
A large movement of people west is
predicted when the rates for the Shos
hone opening are placed in effect.
The fortunate settler who secures
one of these quarter sections will gel
his land at cost of about Sl.5O pei
acre, payable in easy installments
covering period of several years
This, of course, does not include cos'
of water rights on such lands as are Il
be irrigated.