The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-28
Will PROVIDE
$4,000 CLAIMS
PREPARATIONS ARE BEING MADE
ON EXTENSIVE SCALE FOR THE
DRAWINGS - DESCRIPTION OF
LANDS TO BE oPENED--RAIL-
ROAD FACILITIES.

since the announcement GnaI
large portion of the land embraced In
the Standing Rock and Cheyenne In
dian reservations In North and South
Dakota will be opened to settlement
during the coming fall was made q
lively interest has been manifested
and many inquiries made as to the
| character OF the lands, railroad facili-
ties, terms of the opening, etc, are be-
ing made. The following particulars,
given by The Bismarck Tribune, viii
answer the inquiries generally and
give many facts that interested parties
should know.
Under the terms OF the bill which
passed congress in May, 1908, approx
mately 2,337,000 acres embraced in
the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River
reservations, extending from the Can
non Ball river in North Dakota to
the Cheyenne river in South Dakota
will be opened to selling.
The opening, for which all arrange
ments are being made to take place in
October-registratio point at Bis
marck. North Dakota, Oct. 4 to Oct.
23--has been aptly described by well
known official as "tne last OF the big
ones and the biggest of them ALL"
Within a short time (almost period
of months) free homesteads will be q
thing of the past. Why, then, when
such an opportunity as this presents
itself, should one hesitate?
4 Physical Characteristics.
Soil Of the best, land well watered
by five rivers and countless smaller
streams, the general lay of the land
most favorable, railroad facilities now
good and soon to be much better, land
on both sides of the reservations well
settled, with land values substantial,
will make of this opening. the most
desirable to intending homesteaders Of
any held out by the government in re-
cent years.
Terms of Sale.
In order to open this land treaty
was made with the tribes then hold
ing the land embraced in the two res
ervations by which they were to re-
ceive an average price of $3.50 per
acre for the lands given up, so that
while the lands will be open to home
stead entry and must be lived on and
improved, a low valuation has been
placed on them, which will be ridicu-
lously low compared to valuations OF
SlIIllldT iduu Oh UOIu SluSS VI JIle FSS-
! ervations.
The homesteads offered may be
proved up in two ways; by settling on
the land, improving same with a five
years residence and paying for the
land as follows: One-fifth OF the val
uation down and one-fifth OF the bal
: ance each year for five years to fol-
: low; no interest or taxes until patent
! is finally issued, or by payment Of
2 fifth of the valuation down; &
: residence and cultivation over fourteen
g months and the payment at the end o
(; the balance due on the land. In th'
: latter case, as well as the former, n,
interest or taxes are paid until tn
patent is granted.
: The land has been divided into sew
: eral classes, and the value placed ac
: cording to the grade. Agriculture
y land has been graded as to first anC
d second class--first class 81 to $6 al
G aSge second class, $3.50 to $S.75 al
h fsacre, then grazing land at so cents t.
), $1.50 an acre. This will make fiv,
s divisions, the divisions being divided
e in tracts Of 16O acres each.
: Extent of the Tract.
It To gain an idea as TO the extent o
II the tract to be opened 1T is well t
note that the land extends in
straight line from the Cannon Bal
2 river in Morton county, North Dalzots
to the Cheyenne river in Armstron
8 county, South Dakota. That betweel
these counties are Schnasse, Borema
and Dewey counties, South Dakota
., from north to south this tract
: eighty seven miles in length, in widt
B. at the narrowest point 1t is forty-tw
2, miles, with an eighteen mile strip 4
!; the center which is about eighty-fou
4 miles wide.
.. The Cheyenne river forms tn
'r southern boundary Of this land, tn
> Cannon Ball river the northern boun
: dary the great Missouri river the en-
tire eastern boundary, while betwee
n running from east to west and divid
ing the vast tract in three equal part
are the Grand and Aforeau rivers. c
II the many streams in addition, whic
le are worthy of note, are Little Morea
: river, Ook Hump. Virgin, Beaver, vii
Q low and Green Grass creeks.
Rainfall.
le The government weather report
10 from these points on the reservation
n. for the years 1900 to 1909. inclusiv
1t show a very generous rainfall, we