The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-11-21
TO APPEAL
FILINGS
Ownership Of Santa Fe" Strip
In New Mexico Not Yet
Decided

Whether the strip north of Texicc
In New Mexico will be awarded Ia
those who have recently filed on II
under the homestead law or to the
Santa Fe railroad which has claimed
It, Is still a matter of considerable
uncertainty. On account OF the fact
that many Amarillo people made fill
lngs on the strip two weeks ago when
the report was given out that II was
open for filing, the decision will be
awaited here with great interest.
Applicants Must Appeal.
All filing papers and filing fees
for claims in the strip were sent to
the United States land commission
er's office at Clayton, N. NJ, and
were here taken up In their regular
order. The commissioner, however,
could only record the filings as re-
ceived for the quarter sections des-
ignated in the filings, and returned
the money and the filings with in
structions to the applicant to appeal
to the interior department. This has
been done in every case and now the
applicants for the land are awaiting
the next step in the proceedings.
They have thirty days in which to
make appeal. This appeal must be
made through the office at Clayton
which will forward all papers Of the
kind to the department at Washing
ton. In the meantime, however. the
department is taking action In the
matter and the case is being carried
toward settlement.
Is Fine Tract Of Land.
The strip in dispute starts north
OF Texico a few miles west of the
state line and runs in an nubroken
body for nearly thirty miles west. |
1t Is from three TO six miles wide and /
contains about 10000 acres. The
Runningwater draw goes through the
strip but there is practically no
waste land | ntEe body and as a |
whole 1t Is one OF the finest tracts
In New Mexico. Although all the !
land surrounding this strip has been
filed on and is occupied this has
been kept vacant under report that
L belonged to the Santa Fe Rail-
way company. The Santa Fe did
lot pay taxes on the land, however.
md this fact lead an enquiring citizen
o file on the land and carry his
ase to the authorities. He got a
lecision which indicated that the
and was open to filing and this fact
reated the rush to the land
Company Wanted TO Swap.
Years ago the Santa Fe. like all
ther roads. was given grants OF
and from the government for con-
truction OF lines into the undevelop- .
d west. These grants were In the
orm Of script which the company ,
ould locate in any part OF the pub ,
&c domain which the company Sc ,
'cted In the present instance the ,
ompany first placed the scrip on
10000 acres in western South Da- ,
ota, It Is said that this land had ,
mber OF commercial importance at i
lie time the company took possession ,
I the land, and that there Is no
mber OF consequence left on the
md now, this story has not been
erified. At any rate. n few years
go, the company decided that 1t :,
ould rather have STRIP of land !,
New Mexico near its lines than in
outh Dakota and accordingly laid
aim to the strip in New Mexico and
ade application to float the scrip =,
ON the South Dakota tract and
ACE 1t on the New Mexico land. '.
he transfer of scrip has been pend :,
g for several years but, according .
accounts from reliable sources, :
e department lately refused to rat.
the transfer because when ap-
'aiser's reports were returned on
e two tracts, the South Dakota ,
nd was given a value OF 81 per acre ~
ID the New Mexico land was reck- "
ed at $40 per acre, The disparity
values has caused the department %
hold up the proceedings and, I'M =,
IS other circumstances develop !
lich will alter the case. the COM o.
ny is likely to lose its claim to the ~
w Mexico land and be forced TO !
ep the South Dakota land which
originally claimed.