The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-05
ABOUT FIVE MILLION ACRES
Within Next Twelve Months Government
Will Open Land For Settlement in
Idaho, Washington, Montana and
South Dakota Reserves.


in the Northwest during the next l2
months. when, it is given out, the gov.
ernment will open to settlement 4,9l2.'
600 acres of timber. agricultural and
mineral lands in Northern Idaho. East
ern Washington. Western Montana
and South Dakota. The occupation Of
these lands, situated in eight Indian
reservations. will mark the most I'M
portant period of developement since
the first railroad invaded the forests,
valleys and sagebrush deserts west OF
the Rocky mountains, and means the
obliteration OF the frontier with It's
picturesque cowboys and the vivid ad'
venturous. heroic days, which will never
again have counterpart in this coun-
try The lottery system has been de-
cided upon in the disposition of these
reservation lands, which are located as
follows:
Colville, Eastern Washington, 1000.
600 acres; Yakima, Central Washington,
l,l45,000 acres; Coeur dAlene, Northern
Idah9 10000 acres; Lemhi, Central
Eastern Idaho, 100000 acres; Blackfeet,
Southern Idaha, 100000 acrs; Flat
head, Western Montana, 100000 acres,
Rosebud and Lower Brule, South Da-
kota, S9l,56O acres.
The Lower Brule reservation, compris-
ing 56,560 acres, will be the first to be
opened. The land has been appraised
and the regulations issued for its dis
posal. Homeseekers have until Octo
ber ! to file applications for lottery
tickets in the drawing, which will take
at Pierre the following week.
Each applicant must 60 to the Pierre
land district and make oath on his
ticket that he is entitled to take public
lands under the homestead laws, Ii
successful in drawing homestead, he
must pay the government The appraised
value of the land in annual installments.
The value of the land is placed at from
Sl.25 to $400 an acre.
In the Coeur d'Alene reservation land
can be taken under the homestead or
mineral laws. The survey is being made,
and when completed the government
will issue to the Indians their share
and then classify and appraise the sur
plus, amounting to 10000 acres, and
order the lottery. Settlers will not be
able to work their farms until the spring
of 1909, as it will require a year to
appraise the lands.
The most important tract to be op-
ened is in the Yakima country, where
| l,l45,00O acres of land will be disposed
of in various ways. The government is
constructing an irrigation plant to COW
er 100000 acres of land. The irrigated
tract will be divided into 40-acre plats,
The settlers will be required to pay in
10 yearly installments the amount of
money the government put into the
project. This will make the land cost
the settlers $50 an acre. 1t will be
used criefy for sugar beet and alfalfa
culture. The timber land on the Yak
ina reservation will be sold under the
sealed bids. All other land except min.
eral will be awarded under the home
stead act. The allotment and schedule
of reserved lands have been approved
and the land commissioner is ready to
open the reservation just as soon as
the reclamation project is completed.
This will be in time for cultivation of
crops next year.
Surveyors in the employ Of the gov
eminent are at work in the Colville
reserve. In addition to dividing l,0OO,-
600 acres of land into 40 and 100 acre
tracts, they will survey several town.
sites. Part of the land is to be under
irrigation and in this district the farms
will be limited to 40 acres, others being
100 acres. All the lands will be clas.
sifed and appraised as irrigable, graz.
ing, timber, mineral or arid It will
require fully a year for the govern
ment to have this reservation ready for
settlement.
Work is progressing so rapidly on
the Lehmi reservation that it is an
nounced the lands probably will be op-
ened for settlement this fall. The In.
dians on this reservation have been
removed to Fort Hall and all that re-
mains to be done is the appraisement
Of the improvements. The appraisers
will be appointed within few weeks,
The old homestead law will govern the
opening of these lands and settlers will
not have to pay more than from $l.25
to $3.50 an acre for tracts.
| Surveyors are also at work on the
Blackfeet reservation. The first work
is to set aside allotments for the In
dams and then survey the surplus, $780,
900 acres, together with government
townsites. The government has the
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