The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-08-19
REGISTRATION
AT ABERDEEN
FOR OPENING OF INDIAN RESER
VArIONS.
CITY WILL BE CHIEF POINT
AND SEVERAL OTHER TOWNS
WILL ALSO BE NAMED.

opening of the Cheyenne River and
Standing Rock Indian reservations.
The Aberdeen News of Saturday says:
Information has been given the
News from Washington that Aberdeen
will be made the principal registra
tion point for the opening of the Chey-
enne River and Standing Rock reser-
vations 1t will also be the place at
which the drawing will take place,
and at which the successful applicants
land may file on their claims next
spring, probably in April. Negotia-
tions are already under way by the
government, conditioned upon Aber-
deem being the principal registration
point and the drawing point, for a
large building in this city, in which
the proceedings will be carried on.
The other registrations points will
probably be Pierre, lie Beau, Mo-
bridge, Lennon and some point on
the Northern Pacific railroad-likely
Bismark, N d.
The proclamation opening the two
huge reservations to settlement, and
placing something like $4,000 quarter
section farms at the disposal of the
land hungry hordes of the United
States will be issued within a very
few days, from Washington. The
first two weeks in October will be
selected as registration dates. Imme
diately after the registration is ended,
the drawing for the homesteads will
take place. One hundred names day
will be taken from the receptacle
containing the 100000 or more names
of applicants who will have filed for
a chance for the land, until the $4,000
names and few extra for good
measure, to fill in these vacancies
caused by winners failing to file, are
drawn out Some time next spring,
likely in April, the winners will be
!. given the opportunity to file on the
land, the owners of the first 100
names drawn from the receptacle FL
ing on the first day, those from 101
to 200, inclusive, filing the second
day, and so on until all the land is
taken.
The registration and drawing will
be in charge of Judge Witten, who
has so successfully conducted all the
land drawings of recent years, includ-
ing those on the Rosebud, and the re-
cent drawing on the Flathead, Couer
d'Alene and Spokane reservations in
Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Judge Witten does not always follow
precisely the same method in conduct
ing these affairs, his long experience
causing him to change his plans,
when necessary, to meet local condi-
tions. But the opening will be carried
out substantially as above outlined.
The authoritative announcement
that this will be the principal registra-
ton point the point where the draw
ing will take place, and the point
where the filings for land will be made
by the winners, will cause general re-
joicing in Aberdeen. 1t means that
large number of the more than 100,-
900 people who are expected to regis
ter for the land will visit the city.
The other towns which will be named
as secondary registration points will
have all the visitors they can care for.
r The honors in this respect will be
pretty evenly divided, for with the
land hunger that consumes the Ameri-
can people, no one town could ade-
uuately care for so large a crowd of
visitors People living on the ST.
Louis line, or those whom the st.
Louis is easier of access than other
roads, will largely register at lie Beau
or Aberdeen. Those along the North
ern Pacific road will quite naturally
register at the town chosen for the
registration point on that road.
Lennon, Mobridge and Aberdeen will
divide the arrivals of the Milwaukee
road. while this city will get the bulk
of those who find it most convenient
to travel on the Great Northern, ana
Aberdeen and Pierre will divide the
travel on the Northwestern road.
When the drawing takes place, how
ever, Aberdeen will be the center of
attraction. 1t will be for the date
line from this city, in the newspapers
OF the country, that 100000 or 100000
people will anxiously watch while the
drawing is on, to see ii their names
are listed among the winners. 1t will
be to this point, too, that the $4,000
or more winners will wend their way
next spring. when the time comes to
file on the land. For the next six or
y eight months, therefore, Aberdeen
will be much upon the minds of many