East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-12-05

That a man should pay from So to
$40 per acre for barren rocky land
In the western portion OF the county
seems foolish to some who have
traversed the waste sections and seen
nothing up there but an occasional
coyote bowling from a ledge OF rim
rock.
But within the past month many
been purchased at the above prices
and the men who have bought II have
every indication uof knowing what
they are about. That they will make
all the way from So to 800 per acre
by their deal is stated by men IA
miliar with the situation and because
of this fact the story is one Of in
terest.
Overlap Land Is Good.
The land that has Just been pur-
chased lies In what is known as the
overlap section. which embraces
much of the western portion OF this
county and also much land In Wash
ington. In early days the land was
granted by the government to both
the Northern Pacific railroad and to
the o. r. & N. BY reason OF this
dual obligation the government had
difficulty for 1t oalIld not give the
same land to two corporations. 1t
then tried to divide 1t equally. but
by the decision OF cthe United States
supreme court given last winter the
Northern Pacific company was given
the right TO demand every alternate |
section within the overlap section. |
Before the supreme courts decls- !
ion had been rendered much of the |
land had passed into private hands,, |
either having been purchased or filed |
upon by settlers, mostly stockmen.
In consequence of the courts decis-
ion the government now has to either
secure title to the land and deed IL
back to the Northern Pacific or else
give that corporation ,other land In
lieu thereof Owners who will ac-
reept government scrip nor their hold
ings will be given the same and they
may then place their scrip on any
vacant government land in any state
through which the Northern Pacific
passes.
1t is because they wish the land
as means OF securing scrip that the
recent purchasers have sffered such
high prices for the barren
sections and when 1t is known that
scrip is worth from SIS to $40 and
may sometimes be used to far great
er advantage 1t may readily be seen
how they can pay IS and $40 per
acre for the lanh
Scrip Men Were Busw.
About month ago several ,thous- ,
and acres of the overlap land was I
bought by the Collins Land company
Of Washington, d. c., which concern
has western headquarters at Helena.
Among thNse who parted with land &,
10 those gentlemen are K. G. Warner, =
,Slusher and Messrs. Suiste,
Fix and Atkinson. ;
Within the past few days Maginnis
& Son, Of Coos Bay, have been bRsy
here and they also have secured O !
3Opuiy AhoheiH vi AOI NllACU | q
hey will shortly take government :.
icrip. Some land was secured by .
hem from Messrs. Warner and y,
;lusher while tract was also pur- ''
hased Of Pedro Bros. They paid =.
he same price as the Collins people. =,
May Bny IL Back. :,
In purchasing the land of the local v
'wners the representatives of the y
Grip people held out that as soon as
he government gives the land to the
'orthern Pacific 1t will again be Of 4,
cred for sale and the stockmen may 4"
hen buy 1t back for half or a third
he price they have just received. As
he N. p. will not need the land and tn
will be worth but little it is proba- HI
lie that this may be done. H
So 1t may be seen that 1t is not al b
'ays q fertile soil or the dream of a
overnment irrigation project that ST