Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1907-10-11
Homes for $4,000 Families
ludian Lands to be Thrown Open in
the Northwest

ment 100000 acres of timber, agricult-
ural aud mineral land in eastern Wash
lngton, northern Idaho, western Mon
tana and South Dakota. The occupa-
ton of these lands, situated in eight In
dian reservations, will mark the most
important period of development since
the first railroad invaded the forest,
valleys aud sage-brush deserts, west of
the Rocky mountains, and means the OBJ
liberation of the frontier with its
picturesque cowboy and its vivid, adj
venturous heroic days, which will never
again have counterpart in this coun-
try. The lottery system has been de
cided upon in the disposition of these
reservation lands, which are located as
follows:
Colville, eastern Washington, I,ooo-
600 acres; Yakima, central Washington,
I,I45,o acres; Occur d'Alane, northern
Idaho, $1,000 acres; Lemhi, central
eastern Idaho, 500, 900 acres; B1ackfeet,
southern Idaho, 500, 900 acres, F1athead,
western Montana, 100, 900 acres; Rose
bud and Lower Brule, South Dakota,
89I, $50 acres
FIRST LOTTERY DATE.
The Lower Brule reserve, comprising
So, 500 acres, will be the first to be open
ed. the land has been appraised and
the regulations issued for its disposal.
Homeseekers have until Octoper 7 to file
applications for lottery tickets in the
drawing which will take place at Pierre
the following week. Each applicant
must go to the Pierre land district and
make oath on his ticket that he is en-
titled to take public land under the
homestead laws. If successful in draw
ing homestead he must pay the gov
ernment the appraised value of the land,
in annual instal1ments. The land is
placed at SIPS to "a an acre.
COEUR D'ALENE RESERVE.
In the Occur d A1ene reservation, land
can be taken under the homestead or
mineral laws. The survey is being
made, and when completed the govern
ment will allot to the Indians their
share and then classify and appraise the
surplus amounting to 300, 900 acres, and
order the lottery. Settlers will not be
able to work their farms until the
spring of 1909, as it will require year
to appraise the lands.
YAKIMA COUNTRY.
The most important tract to be open
ed is in the Yakima country, west of
Spokane, where I, I45,o 600 acres of land
will be disposed of in various ways
The government is constructing an ir-
rigation plant to cover 100, 900 acres of
land. The irrigation tract will be di-
vided into 4o-acre plats. The settlers
will be required to pay in ten yearly in
stallments the amount of money the
government put into the project. This
will make the land cost the settlers $50
an acre. 1t will be used chiefly for
sugar beet and alfalfa culture. The
will be sold under sealed bids, All
other land, except mineral will be
awarded under the homestead act
The al1otments and schedule of reserved
lands have been approved and the land
commissioner is ready to open the
reservation just as soon as the reclama-
ton project is completed. This will be
in time for cultivation of crops next
year.
COLVILLE RESERVE.
Surveyors in the employ of the gov
eminent are now at work in the Colville
reserve, north of Spokane. In addition
to dividing 1000, 900 acres of land into
40 and 100 acre tracts they will survey
several townsites. Part of the land is tc
be put under irrigation and in this dis
trict the farms will be limited to 90
acres, others will be 100 acres. All the
land will be classified and appraised as
irrigable, grazing, timber, mineral or
arid. 1t will require fully year for the
government to have this reservation
ready for settlement.
Work is progressing so rapidly on the
Lemhi reservation that it is announced
the lands will probably be opened Ito
settlement this fall. The Indians on
this reservation have been removed to
Fort Hall and all that remains to be
done is the appraisement of the i'm
provements. The appraisers will be ap-
pointed within few week. The old
homested law will govern the OPEN
ing of these lands and the settlers will
not have to pay more than from SIPS to
e.. go an acre for tracts.
Surveyors are also at work on the
Blackfeet reservation. The first work
is to set aside allotments for the Indians
and then survey the surplus 500,
acres together with government town
sites. The government has the right to
withdraw part of this land for an If
rigation project, but so far there is no
disposition to do so.
MAY BE DELAYED.
The work of making the allotments
f,sc fol nd