Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-06-14
switched Land Values.

Denvcr.-A substitution OF land
ralued at $50 per aero in place Of some
applied for at $3.50 per acre. has been
discovered in the once OF the State
Land Board, and when reported In due
lime by Register John +. Vivian to the
board. will undoubtedly be rigid In.
vestigation. BY . singular coincidence
The Juggling OF this land occurred i'm.
mediately prior to the deals involving
Frank Gyliensten and J. N. Blee.
which were ordered investigated by
the board and the sales cancelled.
The present discovery. however.
shows q deliberate switching OF sew.
sral pieces OF land on an application
nled by George NJ. Davis Of Center.
Colorado, under the date OF November
10. 1904. The application originally
called for the purchase Of the south
east quarter OF section SO. township
10 north, range east, school land:
also northwest quarter OF section IL.
north township 40. range 8 east. In.
lernal Improvement land. described NJ
grazing land, for $3.50 an acre.
When the application came before
Tho board the land had been properly
appraised and was ordered sold at
$3.50 per acre. that being good price
Tor II.
But after the application had been
passed upon upon favorably. the origi-
nal description was crossed out by pen
and Ink and the following substituted:
Southeast quarter OF the northwest
quarter section s, township 40 north.
range 8 east Tho latter land, COM
prising about AIS acres. was easily
worth $50 an acre. M II lies near Cen.
ter, Rio Grande county. In the grain
belt. while the original land for which
Il was substituted, lies further south
east In the same county.
The substitution as shown In tho ap-
plication on fle In the land ofiicc was
apparently written In the same hand.
writing as the original application. No
record OF the valuable land ever hnv-
Ing been applied for appears on the
records. and the only reference to u
In In the minutes OF the meeting OF
November 23. 1904, which contain tho
description and have the following no.
tation:
1T appearing that no good reason
existed why these lands should not
be sold, Il was moved and seconded
and carried that tho application be nd
vcrtiscd and the lands sold for $3.50
IN acre"
About one year later. November s.
1905. the following record appears:
'Thc register reported that In com.
piiancc with the order Of this board and
after due advertisement lin tho Monte
Vista Journal and Denver NcwS). he
had offered for sale on November z.
tho southeast quarter and northeast
OF section 8. also the northwest quar-
ter OF section 8. township 40 north.
and range east. that GcoErc ~.
Davis was the highest and only bidder
at $500 an acre. and that the land wns
accordingly sold to him.
There In on the filcs Of the land
board n record Of the transfer of the
land In question to James L. Hurt by
George n. Davis. after the alleged sale
had been consummntcd. Hurt had
been leasing IL at 75 cents per acre ut
the time Il wus switched onto Davis
application
II In likely that tho land board will
Investigated the entire transaction and
an effort will be made TO recover pos
session OF the land. although Register
Vivian did not care TO discuss the mat
ter In detail. He said that the state
had probably lost $4,000 through the
manipulation OF this valuable land and
is unable to account for the apparent
boldncss Of the substitution. The i'm
provcmcnts on the substituted land
were placed Mt ti.s15. but when u was
appraised April 90. 1909. by Thomas
A. Curry for tho land board. the im.
provcmcnts were placed nj $500. 10
there IL quite n large discrepancy here
also.
At the time the land went TO Davis
an application for renewal OF his lease
was on fic by Hurt. The latter failed
to got the lease. but afterwards took
tho land from Davis by purchase. II
Is believed there is now some litigation
on between these parties and that
Is what led to the exposure OF the Aub.
stitution.