The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-06-23
CONGRESSMAN HANNA'S WORK
FOR FOREST FOR N. D.
Is Putting Great Effort Into Getting Reservoir This State
Imperative Need for Immediate Action If It
Is to Be Accomplished

1 executive order. AS / stated in my
letter to Mr. Graves, very little OF this
land has been filed upon as 1t is a very
rough country out there and the mer
who have fled have filed really fol-
ranching purposes and not for genera
| farming
To Chief Forester Graves, Mr.. Han
ma laid great stress on the fact thai
there is only one forest reserve In
the state, and that it was In the south
western part of the state. He told
him there should be a forest reserve
started In the western part of North
Dakota and between the lines of the
Northern Pacific and Great Northern
railroads and upon the Little Missouri
river country.
THAT country" Mr.. Hanna told Mr.
Graves, "is largely what are called the
badlands, That is an Indian name and
the country in there is a very peculiar
formation. 1t is an ideal cattle coun-
try and there was at one time
a good deal of timber, but it has been
largely cut down by settlers from the
surrounding country Very little OF
the land where / wish to have this
forest reserve set aside has ever been
filed upon"
Mr.. Hanna then explained to The
Forum representative that the country
he wanted set aside is in township 149
range SO, sections 10 to 80, inclusive
all of township 1897; in township
1898, sections 23. "a, %, 26, 35 and
So; in township 1888, the whole
township; in township 1899, sections
81, 80, S3, "a, 30 and SO; in township
1879, sections 1 to "a inclusive; ali
of township 1873, and the west hall
of township 1887 also sections 4, )
and in township 147-97.
This country would make an ideal
forest reserve and would do wonder
full amount of good up there. There
may be a little of the land filed on in
there, but a very little' Mr.. Hanna
said enthusiastically. "The country is
rough" he explained, "and not adapted
to general farming, so settlers have
not gone in there. Action should be
taken on this at once"
In following up this matter Mr.. Han
ma addressed another communication
to Chief Forester Graves, May 30, in
which he said to a reply from Mr.
Graves:
"As a matter of fact, you do not
need to put out any trees in this Sec
ton whatever. There are enough trees
still standing up through the draws or
gulleys and along the bottoms to re-
seed in fine shape if the fires are kept
out and that will be done by the set
tiers themselves and particularly If the
settlers are kept from cutting the trees
down TO use them for fence posts and
things of that kind.
II wish might show you this coun-
/ try" he further wrote the chief forest
ers, Il know you would not hesitate
moment, if you saw it, in having
this land set aside The land is not
suitable for general agriculture. II
would make, the bulk of it, the finest
kind of grazing land, but the way Il
is now, naturally, it its absolutely
valueless, or soon will be even fol
that purpose for the reason that set
| tiers naturally take up land along the
water and then the land back from
the water course cannot be utilized. ]
hope you will reconsider this matter
set the land aside and even if It was
only aside for FIVE years, and then in
vestigate 1t and then if it was found
that it could not be permanently SET
aside, it could be thrown open and re-
turned to the public domain"