Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-11-11
BIG RUSH Of
HOMEsEEKERs
To File on Land
In Roosevelt
County
2l6,000 ACRES AVAILABLE
Santa Fe Railroad Has No
Title to Immense
Tract.

Clovis, ~ NJ, Nov 11.--Within the
past ten days more than $50 applica,F
tions for homestead entry on the tract
/ Of land heretofore held by the Santa
Fe Railroad, have been received and
accepted by United States Commi'
sioner Curren Of Clovis. Every train
is bringing In more people anxious to
| file on this land The excursionists are
from Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebras
ka and other states, having been at
tracted by the announcement that this
valuable tract of land was open to
homesteaders, coupled with the fact
that this section OF New Mexico. here
Itofore considered purely cattly coun
try, has developed into one of the
leading agricultural districts of the
Southwest.
The tract formerly designated as
Santa Fe land consists of 2lG000
acres, situated north and west of
Clovis In fact, part of it is within
four miles OF Clovis and the Eastern
Railway of New Mexico, extends along
the south line OF the tract for miles.
Strange as it may seem, when other
parts of this section were being set
tiled, hundreds Of homeseekers passed
over this fertile tract Of land. believ-
ing that 1t was Santa Fe property
This report was started by some offic.
ial of the company, perhaps. but
search Of the records in the general
land Office late this fall indicated that
the land did not belong to the Santa
Fe and was open to settlement.
Santa Fe Has No Title to Land.
This information was secured
by man named Copeland,
located at Portales, who de-
Itermined Last summer to test
| the matter. Copeland carried on a
long drawn out correspondence with
the general land Office at Washington,
and finally obtained what he desired;
the information that the Santa Fe did
not then and does not now have title
to this valuable land Copeland imme.
|diately came to Clovis and made appli.
cation to homestead 160 acres OF this
tract He was followed by many of
his neighbors and with the informa.
|tion already received, more extens-
i've investigation was made, with the
apparent result that every quarter
section of this land will be filed on
So certain are people in this section
of the territory, including prominent
lawyers and business men that they
ARE sending for their clients and
friends, telling them that this is the
last opportunity to obtain government
land for few dollars.
AS a result of the receipt of appli.
cations at the Clovis office, number
of grazing leases made with cattlemen
for tracts of land north Of Clovis have
been cancelled These cancellations
have been made within the past week
and already number of cattlmen are
hSul iiSo VII bioNlHS llICll HCluo W
some other locality.
Clovis Town With a Future.
Clovis, the principal town on the
Eastern Railway of New Mexico, is
the largest place near this immense
tract of land. The Eastern Railway of
New Mexico is owned by the Santa Fe
and is the new connecting line which
will shorten California and Chicago
time many hours. 1t will also give the
Santa Fe an outlet from the Gulf, which
will be big thing for this southwest
ern Territory. Clovis is a terminal and
shop town on this line An eighteen.
stall roundhouse, concrete coal chute,
depot. Harvey eating house and shop
buildings are nearing completion
Steel is now being laid south of Clovis
on a new line which will connect this
town with the Pecos Valley and which
means that all trains operated in this
section by the Santa Fe will go direct