The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-09-09
lBy Fred wermerl

school lands is being discussed au-
thentic information as to the charac-
ter, extent and value Of the lands
owned by the state will be of general
interest. Lands we're granted to the
state Of Oklahoma BY the federal
government for three different pur-
poses, but all Of them are commonly
classed under the general term Of
school lands.
BY various acts Of congress, sections
16 and SO in every congressional town
ship in the entire territory Of Okla
homa were reserved for the benefit
Of the common schools of the state;
section 13 in the Cherokee outlet,
Greer county and the Kiowa, Co.
manche, Apache ard Wichita reserva-
tions were set aside for the higher in
stitutions Of learning of the state,
and section S3 in these same districts
held for a public building fund.
In addition to these grants, under
the terms of the enabling act, spe-
cial grant Of land was made to each
Of the higher educational institutions
amounting in all to 1,O5OOOO acres.
No school, college or public building
lands were reserved or set aside in
the Indian Territory side Of the state,
but congress made direct appropria-
ton Of $5,OOO,OO0 in cash to the com
mon school fund Of the state in lieu
of common school lands in that terri
tory Wherever all or any portions Of
sections 16, S6, l3 or 3S were lost by
reason of Indian aIlotments, fractional
surveys, large streams, etc, the gov
ernor of the territory was allowed to
select lands Of equal area in lieu of
the lands so lost, such lands being
known as indemnity lands The total
area OF lands so selected is 306,188
acres, and while they are scattered
more or less over the entire area of
the former territory Of Oklahoma,
there are several points in which they
are massed in large contiguous tracts
What are known as the Kickapoo in
demnity lands lie in Lincoln, okla
homa and Pottawatomie counties, and
have a total area of 1O1,4S9 acres, 3d.
160 acres lying in Lincoln county, 26,-
399 acres in Oklahoma county and
$3.50 acres in Pottawatomie county
There is a tract of 24,24O acres of in
demnity land in the central portion Of
Woodward county and one Of about
10000 acres in the center of Beaver
county There are also about 10000
acres of indemnity land in Caddo
county, $4,000 acres in Comanche
county, $4,000 acres in Greer county
and $4,000 acres in Kiowa county. The
lands in these latter counties are,
however, more or less scattered.
The total area of common school
lands owned by the state is 1,419SO3
acres, Of which 214,651 acres are in
demnity land; the area OF section 1S,
college land, is 352,2O7 acres, of which
44,S74 acres are indemnity lands; the
area Of public building land is 3l5,065,
of which As ,66S acres are indemnity
selections Adding to these lands the
1,O5O,OOO acres granted to colleges by
the enabling act gives a grand total
Of S.1S1,O75 acres of land granted to
the state as a gift by the federal gov
ernment.
In 1891, upon the recommendation
Of Governor Steele and a memorial
of the territory legislature, Oklahoma
Territory by an act Of congress was
granted authority to lease her school
and other reserved lands. This was
an innovation, all other territories
having allowed their school lands to
lie idle or be wasted BY squatters un-
til admitted as states, when most
of them Immediately sold their lands
al a low price.
The experiment of leasing the lands
undertaken by oklahoma Territory as
a pioneer, proved decided success,
however, and the total net receipts
from leasing up to June 80, 1908,
which includes seven and half
months under statehood, were $4.17O,-
97281 Of this amount $2,S54,7g1.66
was from the common school lands
and was distributed semi-annually
among all Of the school districts of
the territory; S671 ,s6S91 from the col
lege lands, the same being divided
each year among the seven higher
educational institutions, and 1884,
7O0 az From, fbo p,,hlfo h.stdi,,r. To,,ar