El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-05
Much Free Land Remains
Many Thousands Of Acres In All
Portions of Country May Be Sc
cured; Women Make Entries.
Nv I. rpsJarfe I Hust<fp
= BY l. rederie J. Hnskip
Z = ASHINGTON. d. G.. Sept 5


spent over $4,000 for small iron posts
These posts are used solely for the
purpose of marking the boundaries Of
the free homestead lands in the differ
ent parts of the country. which Uncle
Sam is anxious to give to as many of
his nieces and nephews as will accept
them. One of these posts will be found
upon every half mile of each homestead
tract, This will make it easy for an
amateur surveyor to secure his own
Much of the cost of taking up home
stead land in the past was due TO the
uncertainties of the boundaries the
lack of guide posts, and the necessity
of making new surveys. The govern
ment has provided against future trOu-
BILE of that kind The earlier govern
ment surveys were marked by wooden
stakes which were easily removed, or
rotted themselves If left long enough
Many of them are now being replaced
by these new iron posts In order that
it may be as helpful as possible, each
of the iron posts is SurmOunted by a
brass top bearing the number of the
section, the township and range and
each is fixed firmly into the ground by
a concrete base.
Much Land Yet Open.
Those who have not given attention
to the subject have no idea how much
land yet remains to be "hOmesteaded,
Within the past five years, the Back
to the Country" movement has made
many persons consider it. Homestead
ing in five years has increased at
least % percent in proportion to the
land yet. to be claimed
The vacant homestead lands row
available aggregate 6S2, yS4,l62 acres
! in the United States, exclusive of
Alaska. They are not all located in
the far west, as has been supposed,
but are well scattered over % states
More than half million acres are TO
be found in the south FLORIDA has the
acres. Much of this is low swamp
land, some of which mas been re-
claimed by government irrigation sys-
TENS.
Free Land in Alabama
Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi
also have considerable homestead
tracts The largest IS IN Alabama
which has free land in almost every
county. Alabama sections include ag-
ricultural lands, broken sandy soil,
billy, level and rolling lands. timber
and apparently almost everything that
can be looked for in the way of Va
riety. In Louisiana large proper
ton of pine woods, both high and low,
together with q little hard wood. much
swamp and some farm lands are set
aside as homestead lands In Missis-
sippi good sized plots of what the gov
eminent surveyors describe as good
farm land" is yet open to the home
L =
are also to be had free in this state
Free land is yet to be had in the
middle west, in the states OF Arkansas,
Kansas. Missouri, Nebraska and Okla
hOma. to the extent of nearly a mil
lion and a half acres It does not at
tract the average settler. because its
description consists largely of SWampy
and broken timber land. calling for
large investments before returns can
be expected. Nebraska has large
grazing lands with a small amount of
timber and also Of level prairie. The
great rush to Oklahoma land now
available is rough and unfit for cult
Walton
Minnesota and Michigan have con-
siderably more than million and
half acres of free land The largest
areas are in Minnesota These com
prise some good land large holdings
or reclaimed swamp, brush and tim
including copper, tin and iron. Most
of the Michigan homestead tracts are
described as good farming land, with
some timber and also some light soil.
the Michigan hOmesteader and much OF
this land readily can be made remun-
Desert Land Included.
The other free lands are located in |
the states farther west. ranging from I
TO southern California j
Much of it is still best suited for graz !
ing Most of il is still descent. Parts of j
small farming methods of the average /
homesteader and sections of it are i
being taken up with promising in ]
crease each year. The homestead in
terest is not now being marked by the ]
wild rushes of earlier days The set !
tiers who take up land nowadays are ]
usually people who have counted the !
cost. and therefore a smaller proper
ton of the claims are abandoned than 1
formerly.
Entries Of homestead land may be /
made by any person who does not al
ready own $50 acres Of land in the 4
United States. who is not claiming
other agricultural lands under govern
ment control, who is over q years old
and has been born in the United States
Or who has declared an intetion OF
becoming a citizen That IS by any
person except a married woman Her
entries are somewhat restricted. A
married woman may. however. take
Up homestead land when she has been
deserted by her husband, when ne is
ncapacitated by illness, OF confined in
the penitentlary so that she is the {
head and main support of the family
when she is the heir OF a settler who
has died before proving his claim. OF
when she has made improvements
upon the land before her marriage.
Many Women Make Entry.
A large proportion of the land en- (
ries which were made last year were |
n women's names The percentage Of
women who failed TO complete their
was much less than that of
nen.
This year a woman graduated with
honor from an eastern college Ten
rears ago she was a girl earning Z
small salary teaching country school
She managed to save a little money
md took up homestead in the state
IF Washington. She built a small
shack upon it and lived there for the
hree years required by law. During
his period she eSed out her finances !
ly teaching during the winter The
irst winter she walked in all kinds OF
weather three miles each day to her
choOl. The second winter she had an
Nd horse. She had her land planted in
,lfalfa and managed to hire the neces-
airy work done For several years
he has had a man living upon the
,lace to take charge of II. The pro-
leeds Of her alfalfa have been suffi-
lent to fulfill her early ambition to
ttend a Boston college. before her
-outh was too far past for her en-
oyment of IT,
The modern inventions are a great
elp to the hOmesteader. especially the {
Toman- The automobile is one of
hese. woman is now completing
Ter third year on a homestead claim ,
n Michigan For a number of wears
he was a bOOkkeeper in a automobile {
tore Here she managed to save a ( .
eW hundred dollars and also to learn :
Omething about motor machinery. She [
uDDlIed herself with obaar, s-o,...a I