Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-08-06
PUBLIC LAND OPENINGS

PUBLIC LAND OPENINGS
New York Sun: The announcement
from Washington that the land and
Indian authorities have definitely de-
cided to open no more large tracts Of
lands to settlement this year comes as
"a disappointment to many who had
looked forward to profitting from the
government lottery. Opportunities for
the land hungry in 1910 are thus to be
limited to the reservations that were
thrown open last month in Minnesota,
some 233, 900 acres in all, about 5000
town lots on river town sites in South
Dakota and Idaho to b. sold at Occur
d'Alene this month, and tract of 49,
900 acres near Lawton, Okla, to be
sold in eighty-acre lots in November.
None of these distributions PRESENTS
any of the features of the great Okla
homs rush or of the Rosebud lottery;
they are only land auctions with fed
eral authorities in charge.
The chief disappointment this year
was the Yakima reservation in the
state OF Washington. Uncle Sam was
at first held responsible for holding
out false hopes here, but he has just
cleared himself of the charge by show
ing that much misleading information
regarding the reservation was sent
out by persons who had intended to
deceive the innocent homeseeker as to
the amount of land at the disposal of
the government. 1t was discovered in
the course OF the investigation that
the claims selected by the Indians had
exhausted all the good land. After
the allotment shall have been made to
the Indians" says the chairman of the
Yakima appraising commission to the
land Office, there will not be a quarter
section in the reservation open to set
Element that person can make liv-
ing on or that would be suitable for
any purpose but grazing"
The Indians in this case had be-
come such good farmers that they
were able to choose, the best lands.
This Incident shows some of the new
difficulties arising in the opening up
Of reservations. The Indian is getting
a better idea of the value of his pos
sessions and ia driving harder bar
gains with the government in the al
lotments of his permanent homesteads,
to which he is entitled, and to the
appropriation of tracts for school pur-
poses, Two treaties were held up"
this year, those for lands, at Pine
Ridge and at Fort Berthold, sbecausa
the Indians did not beueve1that the
government was giving themAsatisfac-
tory TERMS Il -:
Although this year promises to be
fruitless there is reason to believe
that 1911 will bring some rich prizes.
Congress has. passed bills authorizing
the opening in North Dakota of the
Fort Berthold Reservation 81 $4,000,
acres, and in South Dakota of the
Pine Ridge reservation of 100000
acress ana tho Rosebud reservation OF
85t,000<Acres. The government al
ready has authority to open in Mon.
tana the Blackfeet reservation of $780,
900 acres ;and the Fort Peck reserva,
ton Of l,776Oo0 acres, and in Wash.
ington the Colville reservation of l..
100000 acres. 1t is expected that after
the reductions of allotments for In.
dams have been made there will re-
main for distribution in the respective
areas thees amounts: Blackfeet,
100000 acres: Fort Peck, 100000
acres: Colville, 100000 acres; Fort
Berthold, 10000 acres; Rosebud, 500.
900 acres. The Indian allotments Id
the Pine Ridge reservation will ex-
haust the available land. The most
valuable of these lands and the por-
tions that will attract the most atten-
tlon7ar those included in tie Rosebud
reservation. Parts of this reservation
has already been made into farms
that are now of considerable value.
There has@been az yet no statement
as to the mann er of the distribution,
but there is every likelihood that the
lottery method will be adopted for dis
posingsofs the most desirable tracts.
Those who have been disappointed this
year may look forward to having a
chance at a good slice of the public
domain next. year and consale them
selves with the thought that the re-
duirs;n entssfor getting sne prizes will
be merely LICK s a Pc patience.
In wart county. James Johnson,
kehyeslLrnan. of The Old Fcommittee, has
4G-H~J - ~,