The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-03-24
GIVES INTERESTING lNFoRMA
TloN REGARDING MATTERS
OF LOCAL INTEREST.
M|SSOULA SUNSHINE FINE
Says Opening of Fiathead Reservatio,
Will Take Place, in All Probability.
IN the Latter Part of Next July or
the First Part of Auaust-Everybody
Interested in Montana.

senator Dixon reached home ves-
terday from Washington for a visit of
three or four days, stepping from the
train into bright spring sunshine.
much to his surprise. for he had left
Washington just shaking off the grasn
of winter and had ridden through
knee-deep snow in Minnesota and Da-
kota. The conditions in the Yellow
stone had prepared him in a measure
FOR what he found at home. but the
warmth of the sunshine was a sur
prise to him, and he marveled at il
all day.
4 am glad to get home" said MIR.
DIXON TO Missoullan man in the aft
ernoon. Conditions in Washington
were opportune and l came to Mis-
soula for few days to attend to
some personal business and to look
after some matters in connection with
the opening of the reservation The
senate Will not be able to do ANYTHING
until the house gets through with the
tariff bill, which will be in about
month If the program is carried
through. | shall be here three of four
days, and will get back before | am
needed, as the organization of the
senate has been completed and there
remains nothing but the consideration
of the tariff bill.
The recent session of congress,
while it developed little legislation of
general Importance aside from the ap-
preparation bills, yet passed two laws
which are of tremendous Importance
Montana tp Sta IN,
tana. The first of these was the en-
larged homestead bill, which enables
an entryman to take up 800 acres if
the land is not susceptible to irriga-
tion.
Il believe this law will attract
thousands of settlers to eastern Mon
tana during the coming year. The
list of lands designated for entry un-
der this act will be filed in the land
offices in eastern Montana in a few
weeks.
THE second new law of importance
is the act which permits settlers upon
lands which have been found to con-
tain COAL and upon which final proof
has been withheld, to acquire surface
rights Immediately This law disposes
Montana which have been held up on
the report of special agents. 1t will
release vast acreage to which the
locators have been entitled but which,
under the law. could not be patented
to them.
Important Measure.
80 far as western Montana is con-
hp hoe hi i,t,
during the session was the perfecting
OF the arrangements by which the
lands of the Flathead reservation are
to be irrigated. The surveys have
been completed and the engineers are
now assembling their construction
forces to start the work. Within so
days construction will be under way
on three of the units of the whole
great system which will .irrigate all
of the land from the foot of the lake
to the south boundary of the reserve
adding more than 100000 acres to the
arabic lands of the reservation.
II saw the commissioner of the In
dian office just before / started for
the opening of the reservation. Mr.
to be done is to complete the adjust
ment of allotments which have been
disturbed by the location of reservoir
sites and the reservation of the land
for the bison preserve. While there
is not at present a possibility of fixing
definitely the date of opening the
reservation, Mr.. Leupp informed me
that he has ordered a sufficient in
crease in the allotment force to COM
pete the work without delay. The
opening will. in all probability, take
place the latter part of July or the
first of August
Show Place.
THE bison reserve is another mat
ter of great Importance; this great
reserve will one day be one of the
show places of the country; there are
now 81 head of bison ready to be
turned into the new national park as
soon as the new fencing is completed.
which will be in July The govern
ment has appropriated $4,000 for the
purchase of this land from the In
dams and for it's fencing. The Amer
lean Bison society has raised more
than $4,000 for the purchase of bison
to place in this reserve, and this sum.
together with donations of animals
from Austin Corbin, Mrs. Charles
Conrad and j. J. Hill, will give the
society the so head that 1 have men
toned.
'The day l left Washington 1 called
upon the quartermaster general of the
army and was informed that the ad-
vertisements for bids for the construc-
ton of quarters for battalion at the
new Fort Missoula will be published
soon. You have already had a de-
scription of this construction plan and
you know that the new buildings with
their gray concrete walls and their
red tiled roofs will present a pretty
picture, and that the arrangement of
the post will be as perfect as engi-
neering skill and military experience
can make it. think the advertise
Continued on Page Four)