Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-13
LAND NOBODY WANTS
Mountain Tracts Owned by
Uncle Sam.
ACQUIRED MANY YEARS AGO
Proposed to Form Nucleus of State
Forest Reserve.
PLAN URGED BY J. H. FINNEY
Timber Land in North Carolina May
Become Part of Conserva-
ton System.

Maurice u. O'Connell solicitor of the
Treasury Department. owns - r.; acres
of land In the mountains of North Caro-
lima. and has been trying to get rid of it
for years without success OF course the
land really belongs to the United States.
but Mr. O'Connel holds il as the rep
resentative of Uncle Sam.
John II. F'inney of this city. secretary
of the Appalachian National Forest .Asso-
citation. of which Col. d. A. Tompkns
the wealthy cotton mill man of Char
lotte, \. c., is president got hint of
the ownership of this land. Now he is
trying to work up interest in a PROPOSE
ton to have it either become the nucleus
of the proposed Appalachian forest re-
serve, which southern men have ben try
ing to get Congress to create for many
years. or have it turned over to North
Carolina, which is trying to build up a
forest reserve of it's own.
This valuable mountain land in North
Carolina was conveyed to the United
States by Levi Stevens and his wife
March l.. 1869, in compromise and set
tlement of an Indebtedness due the gov
eminent by E. B. Olmsted.
Ever since the ownership passed into
the hands of the solicitors Office, repre-
sentins the government. the property has
received no attention. Three years ago
Solicitor O'Connell wrote. the Secretary
of Agriculture about the land, trying to
get the forestry division of that depart
ment to look 1t over and ascertain
whether it would be suitable for forest
reserves. Nothing was ever done.
Location of the Property.
OF the total land. $3.50 acres are located
in Clay county and the remainder in
Graham county. The Graham county
land is about five miles west-southwest
from Robbinsville, about eight miles from
Ealleytown and eleven miles north by
east from Murphy. The Clay county land
is six miles from Nalleytown and seven
teen miles from Murphy.
Solicitor OConnell said today that the
Graham county land belongs to the
Smoky mountain range and the Clay
county land to the Blue ridge system of
mountains. The land is mountainous,
he said land located on the short ridges
or spurs that run in every direction be-
tween the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky
range. and lies at an elevation of from
ported to be heavily covered with timber
Of the most valuable kinds and to
abound in valuable minerals.
Mr.. OConnell said the property would
have been sold by the Secretary of the
Urea sury long ago but for the fact that
ne adequate bid for it had been received
The Secretary is authorized by law to
deed the property. Mr.. O'Connell be-
leves that the time has arrived when
the property should pass into the hands
of either the forestry department. of the
government or be turned over to North
Carolina for a state forest reserve.
Squatters May Be in Possession.
1t is considered probable that the prop
erty is pretty well covered with squat
tiers, who would have to be elected, and
that it has probably had much valuable
timber taken from it. There has been
no representative of the government to
look after it.
1.-The southern states" said Mr.. Fin
ney today. have awakened to the great
Importance of forest conservation, and
in North Carolina and elsewhere there is
movement to build up state forest re-
serves from land which may be dona ted
or the forest portions of which may be
turned over to it for long period of
years. Corporations owning large acre
age for mineral purposes have recently
indicated a willingness to turn over to
the states the forest interests for long
periods of years. conditioned on the
states maintaining competent foresters
and fire wardens. remitting the taxes
on the timber valuation, the states to
cut and sell the timber to pay the eN-
penses, at the same time continuing a
sensible policy of refOreStation.