Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-16
OKLAHOMA IS TO
HAVE Bic SALE
Sixty Thousand Of 1,G32, 900 Acres
Offered to Ee Disposed
Of Now

Guthrie, Okla, Dec. IAN aggregate
OF l,6S2. 100 acres % land will be placed
on the market by Oklahoma during tho
coming winter and spring commencing
with the sale of $1,000 acres of indemnity
school lands in Lincoln county Decem-
her 10.
Tho state owns 3isi.0r5 acres Of school
and public building land and about half
OF 1t is TO be sold this winter under tho
bin passed by the last Legislature. which
was compromise between the pcop,e
who wanted all Of the lands sold and
those who wished to retain 1t as a per-
manent heritage for tho schools Of the
State Under this bill the state will sell
the so-calcd indemnity lands, the new
college lands ard the public building
lands, s'lll retaining the common school
lands proper. sections 1e and &C. and the
original college lands. section 10.
The sale of The indemnity lands and
the new college lands Is desirable be-
! cause they liz IN large blocss and be-
ing non-taXahle seriously cripple the
school district townships and oven tho
counties where they ar located The
sale OF the public building lands is neces-
/ sarT n ootair funds for the erection
81 tho many state Institutions which al
ready have been created by the Legisla-
turc The lands were granted for that
specific purpose.
INDEMNITY LANDS GO FIRST.
Tho first sold will be the indemnity
lands. Wherever any or all portions OF
sections &c, 60. 10 or 20. the sections grant
I'd to the state by the federal govern
ment, were lost by reason OF Indian allot-
ments, fractional surveys large streams,
: etc. the governor of the Territory was
allowed to select lands OF an equal area
4 IN lieu Of the lands so lost. the lands thus
selected being known as indemnity lands.
The total amount so selected was 3Os 1873
acres. and whlo the land Is scattered
over the entire area OF the former Terri
tory of Oklahoma there are several
places where they are massed in cont1n-
nous tracts. There are 1914 acres Of
kickapoo indemnity lands in Lincoln,
Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties,
whore the first sales will be held. There
* a tract OF "a 24o acres Of indemnity
lands lying in the central part of Wood
ward county and one OF 1900 acres in tho
center Of Beaver county
There also are about 80 ,01O acres OF IN
demnity land in Caddo county, 1900
acres in Commanche county 42OOo acres
in Greer county and 81 900 acres in Kiowa
county. The sale will be started in these
latter counties Immediately following the
completion Of the work in Lincoln. Okla
homa and tawatomie. The big share
of the indemnity lands, Z4.s,4 acres, are
common school .ands. ASA acres. ara
land and 5000 public building land.
Virtually MI of these lands are now
leased under preference hight leases,
which give the lessees the eight to pur-
chase at the highest bid made. In case
they do not elect to take the land at that
price. the purchasers must pay them for
their improvements according to the ap-
praisement made by the State school land
board,
EASY TERMS. 40 YEARS.
/ The payment for the Improvements
must be in cash. but only per cent Of
the purchase price OF the land has to be
paid down. the remainder being payable
in forty equal annual instalments, with
interes, at ) per cent
In the sale Of the new college lands.
which will follow that of the indemnity
lands the lease question will not be
present to bother, as these lands are only
leased from year to year for grazing pur-
poses. There are in all 100000 acres OF
them. granted to the State by the enab-
| ling act for the benefit Of State educa
tional institutions. to be selected out OF
| any public domain in the State not al
ready appropriated.
! Last OF all will come the sale OF the
public building lands. which are scattered
! throughout all Of the counties on thu
western half of the State. and total 3l5,-
065 acres. Like the Indemnity lands, they
are subject to the preference right of pur-
| chase by the lessee.