Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-25
new COUNTIES BEING FORMED
First Elections to Be Held Soon in
Mellette and Bennett
WHITE RIVER GROWS RAPIDLY
western ToVvnsitc Company settle
ment BIDS Fair 20 become Center
of GOvernment-CRmpH
Near End.


DALLAS. S D.. May I-(Special)-
Menette and Bennett counties and other
vast tracts of public domain in South
Dakota were opened to land seekers
within the present year. The opening OF
these counties means the development Of
soil over hundreds OF thousands of acres.
The new county of Mellette is being or
ganized White River and Wood are can
didates for the county seat Of Mellette
county and the first election will be held
Thursday, May Is.
The bill opening Mellette and Bennett
counties in southern South Dakota passed
congress some time since and the work of
allotting the Indians and appraising the
land is practically completed!
Mellette county lies directly west OF
Trip county, which was opened to settle
ment In 1909 and which is now completely
settled and looks like a county ten years
old.
New Towns Developing.
Splendid towns have been established in
Trip county and the process of settlement
and development has been so rapid that
1t hardly be realized that the county
is yet only two years old. Mellette county
contains approximately S60OOO acres and
the land is practically the same the
land in Gregory and Trip counties and
will no doubt draw very large crowds
to the opening and will settle as rapidly
and develop as speedily as these two
counties have developed,
OF the land in Mellette county there are
about $4,000 acres which have been al
lotted to Indians and are still in their pos
| session. Approximately 10000 acres Of al
lotted land has passed out of the hands
of the Indians and is owned by white
settlers The remainder of the land with
the exception of two sections in each
township which is donated to the public
schools of South Dakota, will be open
to settlement next fall and a rush equal
| to the Bonesteel and Dallas openings is
expected.
During the registration for Gregory
county land in 1901, 10000 people registered
and during the opening for Trip county
land approximately 1l4OOO people regis
| tered for these lands. Promoters living
In this vicinity, realizing the value of
Trip county lands, have petitioned for
the organization of the county and the
governor has issued proclamation or
ganizing the county Of Mellette. On May
rs an election will be held at Bad Nation.
Wood. White River and Black Pipe In
Mellette county.
Trade Builds Town.
| A full quota of officers will be elected
and temporary county seat chosen. AL
| bert Wood, Indian trader, who has
long lived at Wood postoffice, has
ganized company and is promoting the
town of Wood, which Is located in the
eastern portion of Mellette county. The
Western Townsite company, which owns
the townsites of Dallas in Gregory county
and Winner Jordan and Carter in Trip
county, has plated town in the geo.
graphical center of Mellette county on the
Little White river and named 1t White
River. The business men from Lyman
county on the north are rapidly flocking to
this new townsite and 1t bids fair to be
q splendid town. The towns OF White
River and Wood are the candidates for
county seat and the promoters and friends
OF each town are making strong cam
paigns. The candidates for the various Of
fees in the county are also very busy
looking after their interests and altogether
Mellette county is seeing more excitement
than 1t has since the days Of Indian up
risings.
One peculiar situation in the county is
the fact that many intelligent and well
educated white men, as we'll as Indians,
who are 50 to TO years Of age, win at this
election cast their first ballot. Colonel c.
p. Jordan, who owns a large ranch In
Menette county and has lived in Melletts
county for forty years, is a candidate for
county treasurer. On May II he celebrated
his sixueth birthday and on May % he
will cast his first ballot Many other In
stances OF this kind could be mentioned.
IDAHO INKS EnR PIC nRnpc