Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-08-11
DAY FOR FORT BERTHoLD INDIAN
RESERVATION OPENING IS
DRAWING NEAR,

Minot, N. D., Aug. For the first
time in the history of North Dakota
and for the first time since the Red
man roamed the prairies, the land
which is now included in the Fort Der.
thold reservation will be peopled. The
President has issued a proclamation
directing that this land be opened to
settlement under the homestead laws
and the said tract Of land will be dis.
tributed to anxious land seekers all
over the United States on lottery
basis conducted by Uncle Sam. The
land of which every citizen of the
United States will have an opportunity
to register for is situated in Mountrail
and Mclean counties, west Of the cen.
trail part of the state. The Fort Der.
thold reservation lands have been class.
flied as agricultural lands of the first
class, agricultural lands of the second
class, and grazing lands. The total
area which will become subject to en-.
try will, perhaps, be 100000 acres.
There seems to be diversity of opin-
ion as to the value of these lands by
the residents Of Minot and Plaza.
Judging from the value Of the land
"uAeA 40 SonoASuOuS W Cu0 JOWu OIL
Plaza, one is justified in the belief
that the land will range in price from
$1,000 to $4,000 per acre. Wheat, oats
and flax are grown on either side Of the
reservation and the crops are usually
good. Potatoes are also successfully
grown in the counties adjacent to the
reservation. There will be five points
at which land seekers may register,
namely, Bismarck, situated on the
Northern Pacific and 500 line, Minot,
(situated on the Great Northern and
500, and also Plaza, Garrison and Ry.
der, which are situated on the 500
line. Plaza is the only town which is
situated on the outskirts of the reser-
walton. The registration for these
lands will begin Aug. IA and continue
until Sept. 2. -Four days later the draw
ing will take place at Minot and on the
night Of Sept. 6 the land seekers will
no longer be kept in suspense as the
drawing will be history. The city of
Minot has taken on a new impetus
since the fact was made known that
the drawing would take place here. The
commercial club, which has over two
hundred members, are on the alert and
are making arrangements for the enter
tainment of the guests. Mayor Halvor-
son made it plain today that if the
facilities for taking care of the visit.
ors by the hotels, boarding houses and
private houses are inadequate to take
care Of the visitors that the churches
and school houses would be equipped
with beds. "We have secured LUCKY
Bob St. Henry, the celebrated aviator
who has made twenty-seven success.
full flights in the state of North Da.
kota with his Curtiss machine under
the management of Prof. Blakeney, to
make two flights, the l4th and 18th of
September, and we expect to demon
strate to the outside world that the
people of Minot possess the faculty of
entertaining said Mayor Halvorson
today. "Mrs. Murphy, the postmis.
tress, has added six extra clerks to the
postoffice force and now has adequate
facilities for handling the mail. Niinot
is located 80 miles from the reservation
line, and in order to preclude any posi-.
bility of the crowd going to Plaza, the
only registration point near the reser.
walton, the Great Northern has ar.
ranged to install an auto service be.
tween Minot and the reservation, 50
that the landseekers may avail them.
selves OF the opportunity to view the
promised land. In letter received
today by Secretary Sherman of the
commercial club, Judge Witten, super.
intendent of the land opening predicted
that 100000 would register for a
chance in the lottery.