The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-07-18
GROWS IN Value.
ONLY FOUR PER CENT. OF COLO.
RADIOS DOMAIN SOLD.
GREAT POSSIBILITIES AHEAD
Fraudulent Land Sales Have Been BUT
Few and Care for Flu
ture Taken.


as Colorado, according to the last re-
port of the State Land ONCE. issued
last year. Since the general govern
ment donated the lands to Colorado
less than forty years ago, less than
four per cent. of them have betn sold.
Two and a half million. acres were
under lease the latter part OF 1906,
bringing in some $221,000. Less than
10000 acres are vacant. Since that
time the present land board has In
creased the number OF leases, also the
prices to lessees, making an income OF
about $225,00O or more. Very little OF
1t has been sold, and that which mas
been disposed of by the present ad-
ministration has brought increased fig
ures.
In not a few instances where fray
has been found, leases and sales haVtl
been Cancelled by the board the lands
SO lost having been recovered without
loss to the state. Some 5000 acres OF
coal lands held by the Egeria Fuel
Company in Routt county, which was
secured by fraud, will be recovered by
the board.
The total school and indemnity lands
granted the state by the national gov
eminent when Colorado was carved
out into a commonwealth aggregated
1861, 572. Up to the latter part of 1906
only 133,560 acres of this had been
sold. leaving balance of S.42s.o12
acres. So this land is practically in
tact.
However, the Agricultural college
land, given the institution by the gen.
eral government, some 10000 acres,
has been reduced fifty per cent. There
remains only about $4,000 acres, some
10000 acre having been sold and the
proceeds invested in large measure by
the institution.
About fifty per cent. of the states
public improvement lands, also given
by the general government, have been
sold. Originally there were 502,19S
acres, of which 259,176 acres have
since been disposed of, leaving bal
ance of 1922 acres.
OF the 45,SS4 acres of State univer-
sity lands, 34,131 have been sold, leaV-
ing only 11,753.
The total grazing lands belonging to
the state January l. 1907, aggregated
2,35G,641 acres, which were under
lease at $12S.912 annually; agriculJ
tural lands, II ,G63 acres. rented at
| $29, JOG year; coal lands, 20.954 acres.
annual rental $47,077; oil and gas
lands, 1921 acres, rented at $3.50
year; mineral lands, $500 acres, bring
ing in annually to the state only $2,967,
and miscellaneous lands, 2,406 acres,
renting annually for $2,9G7.
Nevertheless. the investigation into
fraudulent leases will be continued.-A
Complete records of those leases and,
sales made by the old regime in the
State Land Office and recovered, or to-
be recovered by the present admins
tration, are appended.
Following are the fraud leases and
sales made by the tSate Land Boards
but later Cancelled:
]. NJ Blee, as agent for the Victor
Fuel Company, presented an applica!
tion to the State Land Board on June
| 6, 1905, for the purchase of 1880 acres
of rich school coal land, being section
| 16, township 81 south, range 65 west.
and lying in Las Animas county, near
| Trinidad; also section SO, township ~
south, range CT west, and lying in
Huerfano county, near Walsenburg, for
$40 an acre. The Victor Fuel Company
claimed that it had purchased the
lands.
On November 8, 1905, however, the
board refused to confirm this sale, hav-
| ing Investigated the two sections and
| found that, instead of being worth $40
| an acre, they were worth 500 an acre.
IN this one transaction alone the state
saved $4,000, which, had the sale been
confirmed, would have been an out and
7, out steal by the corporation seeking
the land.
Between the time of the fling of the
| application and final action of the
board the graft was discovered. The
| deal was to raw to put through, al
though one member Of the board at
| that time favored Confirmation
Whether he knew of the graft or nod
may be, doubtful. These lands are now
being worked on royalty basis with,
an income to the state of many thovA)
sands of dollars year. ~
One significant fact concerning this
matter is that there is no application
nor any appraisers report now on file
in the office of the State Land Board,
| both of which were on file at one time.
1t Is apparent that these records were
withdrawn shortly after the crooked
ness was exposed. No further at
tempts have since been made by the
company to purchase these lands
George M. Davis of Center, Colorado,
on November is, 1904, made applica-
ton to the land board for the purchase
| of three quarter sections of grazing
land, lying southeast of Center, at $3.50
an acre. In the application, appar-
emily after the board had acted favor
ably upon 1t, three other quarter sec
lions. lying in the rich grain belt of
Rio Grande county. valued at $50 an
acre, were substituted for 1t in the land
office.
The minutes of the board on this
transaction shows that the Original
three quarter sections were authorize
to be sold to Davis, but the minutes
still subsequently ordering this sale
described the substituted three quarter
sections instead of the originals.
On April 20, 1905, nearly year az
ter the application had been filed, the
sale was made to Davis, and he as