Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1911-09-22
none TOO POOR
TO own Land
Colorado Has Three Million
Acres to Sell
WITHIN REACH
OF EVERYONE
State Owns Lands from Dry Farms
and Mountain Sides to Lots In
Denver Ranging from $3.50
to $4,000 an Acre

Every man can have his acre in
Colorado. The state has 100000
| acres of land to sell to its citizens
| and the man or woman, however
| humble, who. can save few dollars
a month, has equal opportunity with
| the wealthy.
State land buying has been liken-
| ed to life insurance because 1t Is
practically an endowment policy.
Colorado was given outright by the
government, when it was admitted to
| the union, sections numbers 10 ana
60 in every township. The state has
traded some of these sections Tor
other government lands. so that IN
some counties thousands OF acres III
single tracts are owned by the state.
ANY person who has faith in the
future OF Colorado, who believes that
the land values will increase in the
next twenty years as they have IN
the last two decades, Will Ind state
lands good investment.
1t is a part of the state constitution
that none of the state lands can be
sold for less than $3.50 an acre. There
is no maximum limit and some state
lands have ben sold at more than
$4,000 an acre. The state owns lands
in the residence district OF Denver
adjoining City park which are vaiu-
able. The quality of the lands ranges
from rugged mountain sides to or
chard tracts and city lots.
There are two ways of going about
purchasing state lands. One is to
look up a map of state lands and To-
cate a tract in the county desired. The
state land board furnishes application
blanks. The board investigates the
proposal and may order the sale OF
the land. All lands are sold at pub
lie auction to the highest bidder.
The other plan is to obtain a copy
of the monthly sales list made up OF
the applications of others and go to
the public auction prepared to bid on
some OF the land.
The terms offered by the state are
within the reach of every working
man. The amount of state lands
which one may purchase is not re-
stricted but the board does not favor
applications for more than 100 acres,
because the object is to have the
lands occupied by settlers as soon as
possible.
A person who applies for the pur-
chase of eighty acres has expenses to
meet as follows: He deposits with his
application $40 for an appraisement
fee and so cents for filing. He needs
no attorney, as the register of the
land board furnishes all the legal
advice necessary.
The state has the land appraised
and if the applicant considers the
price reasonable, he asks the board
TO order the sale. He must then de-
post sly for the cost of publishing
the notice of sale in the newspapers
of the county in which the land IS
located.
The sale is held at the state house
a month later. The person who buys
the land must stand the cost OF the
appraising and printing. SO that II
the applicant is outbid he is out only
the filing fee of so cents.
The person purchasing the land,
for example, at $40 an acre must de-
post Immediately with the board
sum equal to 10 per cent OF the value
of the land, which for so acres would
be $50. The balance is paid in
eighteen equal annual installments
with per cent interest.
The first cost of SO acres bid in at
$40 an acre, or $500, is SIo7.5o, made
up of so cents for filing, $40 for ap-
praisal, sly for advertising and 10
per cent OF the purchase price. This
leaves balance OF S72o due on the
ldnu, WlllSH 10 " DC pau IA S,ehss~H
annual installments of $40 each, plus
interest, which amounts to SAB, or a
total OF $SS year for Is years.
The state collects no taxes on state
lands until they are paid for, but any
improvements constructed by the pur-
chaser are assessed in the usual
manner. A purchaser may pay all OF
the purchase price at the time of sale
or at any time before the expiration
of the eighteen years, in which case
he saves the interest, but subjects the
land to taxation. a patent to the
land is given by the state as soon as
all the payments have been made.
The purchaser may transfer his
equity to another at any time. The
purchaser who has faith in the future
of Colorado will estimate that at the
end of eighteen years he will have
eighty acres of land worth at least
$500, and if the records of the last
twenty years are considered, 1t will
be worth probably ten times that
sum.
The state land board, as soon as an
application is received, sends one OF
its appraisers to ascertain fair value
of the land. He compares it with
other lands in the neighborhood, its
probable water supply, the nature OF
the soil, and its railroad location He
reports to the board, giving s.sSlll
description of the land and fixing a
minimum price.
The land board may, or may not.
accept the appraiser S report. His ap-
praisement frequently is increased. II