The Glenwood post., 1910-08-06
FORESTER GRAVES
SAYS HARMONY
A LOT Of Mis,nderstandia1
But No Real Differences
Says Graves
settlement IS URGED

Colorado at the request of Congress
man Taylor, Senator Ammons and
other stockmen to investigate the claim
that great areas Of agricultural lands
were being withheld from settlement
by its enclosure in forest reserves has
finished his special investigation and,
as nearly as can be learned, but little
will result from the trip and but little
if any, change will occur in the man-
agement of the reserves.
So far as can be learned from state
ments given out up to this time by the
chief forester one must conclude that
neither the cattlemen nor any one else
who accompanied him on his trip sue
ceeded in showing him any agricultur-
al lands beyond small areas which have
always been subject to homestead by
all who cared to settle on the same.
The following from the Denver
Times contains about the best account
of the trip since the forester's return
to Denver:
Congressman Edward T. Taylor and
ex-State Senator f. M. Ammons in my
Office in Washington some months ago
/ made the statement that the national
forests in Colorado include large areas
of agricultural land that should be
thrown open to settlers. 1t was for the
purpose of making personal inspec-
tion of these lands that l came to Colo
RADIO
"My trip overland through the Gun.
nison, Sopris and White river forest
l reserves extended from Gunnison
through Aspen to Yampa, distance
of some PAS miles. At Gunnison I met
Senator Ammons, Senator Sapp and
many other representative citizens of
the state. We discussed forestry con-
ditions in general and 1 asked that
some one familiar with the situation
accompany me on my trip and point
| out the areas that could be used more
proftably for agricultural than for for
est purposes.
"of course I realize fully" the
chief forester continued. "that 1t IS
unnecessary, and perhaps impossible,
that 1 should personally examine all
| the lands in the forests referred to by
Congressman Taylor and Senator Am
mons, but I wanted to have at least a
few areas of appreciable size designat,
Ged specifically. T. W. Gray and Will
liam Hartman, well known cattle and
ranch men of the Gunnison section,
were detailed to this duty and were
with my party for the greater part of
the ride through the Gunnison forest.
Most of it is thinly wooded, but some
cleared spaces Gray and Hartman
Thought might contain agricultural pos
tsibilities. These are chiefly in Union
and Taylor parks and in each case 7
expressed my entire willingness to ap-
prove applications of prospective set.
pliers for them. An act of congress of
June IL. 1905, authorizes me to do this
and the forest service is only too glad
Ito welcome settlers under the act"
After leaving Gray and Hartman at
dorchester, near the confines Of Taylor
park, the Graves party proceeded across
the Elk range of mountains.
~ had asked Congressman Taylor to
meet me at Aspen" Mr.. Graves said,
"but not finding him there, continued
to Glenwood Springs, where we had q
long talk. I repeated to Mr.. Taylor
my desire to be shown some of the
land he had told me about in my Office
IN Washington. but he seemed disin.
clined to undertake the task himself
or to designate someone to do it in his
stead. He seemed satisfied, however,
with my attitude ON the sJune II
CLAIMS as we call them, and we ar
ranged that the district forester in
Denver shall inspect later any lands
that Mr.. Taylor may call to his atten-
tion.o
From Glenwood the chief forester and
his party rode through the White River
forest to Yampa, where they met Sen.
ator Ammons again. Ammons went
with them into some of the nearby for
est lands and Graves reports that after
the trip there was very little difference
of opinion between them on the point
at issue.
'Ammons showed me several sections
OF unoccupied land within the reserve
that he thinks ought to be cultivated.
in each case I told him I would ap.
prove applications for prospective set
tiers. He said that was all he wanted.
Some of the areas designated by the
senator had previously been assigned to
people who had applied for and later
abandoned them. In some cases, the
lands had not been worked At all. and