The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-24
OPENED
IN NORTHWEST
Over Eight Million Acres Are
Opened to Whites or
Soon to Be.
ALONG NORTHERN BORDER:
AGRICULTURAL AND GRAZING
Nearly All of the Indian AIIot-
ments Have Already Been
Made.
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune.
| WASHINGTON, D. c.. May 23.-Thers
has been opened up, or soon will be-. to
white settlers S.273.8S0 acres of land In
| tho great northwest. 1t Is To be taken
from the Indians, with pay. and turned
over to white men. that 1t may become
agricuturally productive and afford
cheap homes to those VINO arc willing
and content to build their future fortunes
on the products OF the soil they till.
| This land Is held for homesteaders.
| Divided into farms OF leo acres each, IL
Will nford bl.1l2 homesteads to az many
settlers A farm OF l6o acres, If prop
erly cultivated will support quito largo
| family. Averaging six to family, this
| new territory will provide farm homes
| for moro than 100000 persons. The sur
| plus products from the agricultural and
| grazing lands TO be made productive Will
provide food for twice as many more
Railroads will follow the pioneers into
the hearts OF these now unpeopied lands,
giving work to thousa nds. who will buy
their supplies from the farmers. Cities
and towns will next spring up. giving oc-
cupation and homes to thousands moro.
a territory vast as many empires OF
the old world Will become populous and
| contribute to the wealth of the nation.
This has been the case with other tracts
nent to settlement. There will be no
exception in the case OF these new lands.
Where Lands Are.
The lands TO be opened stretch from
Minnesota 10 Washington. They are To-
Gated as follows; Minnesota, 9s3. 900
acres north of the Lake of the Woods.
along the Canadian border.
North Dakota, 56d,5so acros OF the
Standing Rock Indian reservation.
South Dakota, 1.20S, 500 acres OF the
walton. and 74S.SSO acres of the Standing
Rock Indian reservation. In all. 1,s5S,is0
acres
Montana, 2.7oo,0oo acres in the Crow
Indian reservation and 500 900 acres In
| the Flathcad Indian reservation. a total
OF 100000 acres.
Washing on. 100000 acres In the Col
| Vile Indian reservation.
| Nearly all this land is adapted TO ag-
| rlculture and grazing. In the North
Dakota md Montana Crow Indian reser-
other minerals. These will be with
drawn from entry and made subject TO
| special leases by the interior department.
The lands are to he classified by govern
| nent agents into farm lands OF first and
| second grade. each 10 be disposed OF at
different prices and under different con-
ditions.
The senate committee on Indian affairs
has presented a new plan for opening the
Crow Indian lands to white settlers. IL
Is TO allot to the Crow Indians, first their
homestead lands which they shall retain
for the usual 2o-ycar trust period. and in
| addition to tho homestead allotmcnts the
excess lands shall he allotted In severalty
20 the Indians and authority given them,
under proper restrictions, TO sell the cX-
cess lands.
Committee Comment.
Commenting on this land. the commit
tee said there are embraced within the
Crow reservation about 100000 acres OF
lapd an area of country twice as large
rs the state OF Delaware. with some left
over This vast area Is now inhabited
by about 100 Indians, or an average OF
tn ma Il
child the reservation.
Nearly all those Indians have received
their allotmcnts. and about oS per cent
of them are in possession Of homestead
allotments Of irrigated lands The gov
-rnmcnt has spent 5000. 900 in the irriga-
ton of the Crow Indian lands, approxl-
under Irrigation bitches. Much more Of
the land could be made very productive
by irrigation, while Il large percentage OF
II does not require such treatment.
Tho committee docs not believe these
Crow Indians can progress we'll In the
arts of civilization unless this great area
OF surplus lands is opened to white set,
tlemcnt. The Grow Indians have agreed
TO the committee plan. The opening OF
the lands will result In the Increased
value OF the homestead lands, which the
Indians are now Cultivstins in only n
very small way. Tho timber lands
tho reservation will be segregated and
held as n reserve until congress can take
Some of the lands in the southeastern
corner OF the reservation are underaid
with Ignite coal. There maye be oil and
and leased under she 2S-year trust period
in areas not 10 exceed $3.50 acres to any
one Individual or corporation. and for
term limit not 10 exceed fifteen years.
Tho proceeds from the leases will 20 TO
the Crow tribal funds for tho benefit of
rho Crow Indians. Tho Indiana will get
their lands. the other one-half being
held for them In trust and interest paid
TO them seni-annually.
Good Farming Land.
1t is the belief Of the committee thar
under this plan fully 1000 600 acres OF
good farm land viii be opened To white
settlers and that il will be taken M
speedily. The climate of the Crow res
ervatiou is not as rigorous as in sou1e
other sections of tho northwest. Where
irrigation Is necessary 10 the successful
farming OF the land it can he supplied
at little expense comparatively.
The Flathead reservation has been SUR
veycd and allotted. 1t Is ready now for
the white settlers. y strip of land forty
acres wide fronting on Flathead lake
is 10 be subdivlded into small lots Of
from TWO 10 five acres and disposed OF
as sites for summer residences. The
land ls OF little agricultural value but
the lake is popular with residents OF the
locality for summer outings.
The South Dakota lands to bc opened
up TO homesteaders are in the Rosebud
reservation. and are adapted particularly
To farming and grazing. So far as Is
known. they contain no mineral. These
lands are to be valued by commission
to be appointed by the president. the
TO pay one-fifth upon entry
and the remainder in iDstamcnts in six
years. The secretary of the interior Is
To reserve such lands as are
necessary for agency school, or religious
purposes. Opening or tho lands Will be
by proclamation
Grazing and Mineral
The North Dakota lands, in the Fort
Bertholu reservation, arc grazing and
mineral lards. II Is believed much OF