The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-02-21

long been consistent advocate of thu
advantages which are offered tt
hnmeseekers In northern Minnesota
and who has himself proven that The
things which he urged others to dt
can be done was much interested in
the announcement of George WEIGH
commissioner of immigration of Min
nesota, that many homeseekers thai
have settled in the prairie countr,
Of Canada are anxious to leave there
and 60 to some section where they
may win homes in timbered distric
II see," said Mr.. Hartley, THAT
Major H. V. Eva, secretary of the Du.
luth Commercial club. reports that
he has received communication
from Mr.. WEIGH, commissioner of inn
migration for Minnesota. stating that
he has received letters from a number
of people writing from Northwestern
CanadaIGhat their crops have'been fail
ures for two years, and that they
would like to remove from their pres
ent locations and secure lands in a
timbered region such as may be found
in Minnesota
1.-THE fact is. that there are not
many available homesteads to be had
on government land in Minnesota
outside of the Indian reservations,
and these at present are tied up. OF
course there Is some government land
TO be had, but generally speaking it is
far from a railroad and markets, and
therefore not attractive at the pres
ent time.
$50 1t seems to me that the would
be settler in Northern Minnesota
must look for something beside a
government homestead. There is, of
course, a large amount Of state land
offered for sale at auction each year.
The minimum price, l believe, is S.
an acre. and the terms are very reason
able. A small cash payment is re-
quired, and the balance of the sum to
ne paid may be distributed oyer a
period of 40 years at low rate of
interest.
Then there are large areas of land
from which the pine has been cut.
Some of the larger lumber companies
hold the lands long after the pine has
been removed, and other companies,
usually smaller concerns, get rid of
the land as SOON as they have cut the
pine. Most of such lands are now
owned by the land companies, such as
the Boston & Duluth Land company
of Duluth and the B. g. Church Guar
antee Farm Land company. These
various companies dispose of the land
for from SO to 81 an acre, usually re-
curing payment of 81 an acre down.
but as one-half of this cash payment
is often paid TO the party that nego-
ciated the sale, the land company may
not receive more than so cents an acre
cash. One-half of the mineral rights
is frequently reserved by the seller.
This would seem like small payment
down, but it generally works out al
right, as the settler usually meets the
deferred payments and holds the land.
"The interesting question to be
solved for the would-be settler is how
the money is to be gotten out of the
land to pay for it. We will consider.
for example, lands on the line of the
Great Northern road from Cloquet to
Bemidji, from which the pine has
been cut by the lumbermen. These
are what are commonly known in this
part of the country as 'cut-over
lands Leaving out the open boys,
believe that the inferior timber still
remaining Oh the lands. when cut and
delivered to the nearest spur or pas
sing track will be worth in the pres
emit market $25 an acre. In other
words. if the settler will go and buy
an average eighty of cut-over land in
that region and cut all the merchant
able timber off and deliver it on cars
it will yield him gross $1,000. I am
certain that this is a conservative
estimate.
1.-THE question may arise, what is
this timber aud what is its market?
On most of these lands some spruce is
found, which brings now S1l a double
cord on track. Then there Is some
balsam. which brings IS double cord
on track. Then there is large
amount Of white birch worth IS a
single cord on track. There Is also
usually some tamarac, the larger trees
of which make ties. The tops and
the smaller trees down to three inches
make beg boards aad Grating material,