The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1913-01-07
THE bad LAND" OF DAKOTA
THE REGION HAS BEEN ADAM
DONED BY HOMESTEADERS.
Have Proved Failure as Agricultural
Section. Cattlemen Want VOlcan-
iC Chaos Back for Pasture.

ic Chaos Back for Pasture.
RAPID CITY, S. D.-The bad
Lands of South Kakota have failed
as an agricultural proposition and
the commissioner of the general land
office of the United States is to be
asked to declare the entire section
closed to entry under the homestead
laws, and to reimburse for their time
closed to entry under the homestead
all settlers who have taken up home
steads in the area. If the request is
complied with the Bad Lands" will
be turned over to the cattlemen as
grazing district. There are many
millions of acres in the affected dis
trict and hundreds of thousands of
cattle will again be supported there
in if the government listens to the
plea to close the country to home
stead entry.
This action has been decided upon
by the cattle raisers of South Da-
kota, who say that the government in
throwing the country to homestead
entry destroyed a fOurishing cattle
industry without increasing the num-
Der of farms in the state. The action
of the cattle raisers is not refec-
ton on the agricultural sections of
South Dakota, which contain land as
fertile as any on the continent, but
is confined to what is known as the
bad Lands"-a country of volcanic
action, lava, white sand, many-hued
buttes, deep gorges, small fertile
FLATS and brackish water. 1t is
said that not bird will nest nor
roost in all the territory.
A few years ago vast numbers of
cattle were shipped from the Dakota
bad Lands" Great herds grazed
there in the summer time, and when
the grass died down in the fall were
shipped to Omaha, St. Paul and Chi
cago. But some years back the gov
eminent threw the country open to
homesteaders. In a short time suffi-
Gent settlers had entered the coun-
try to ruin it for grazing purposes
Wire fences were stretched, water
holes taken up, hay flats plowed UNI
der and the range disappeared. The
government homesteads of 100 acres
each were not sufficiently large to
care for even small bunch Of cattle,
as in that country one COW needs not
less than 20 acres. But the govern
ment. in an effort at assisting the
homesteader, ruled that he would
only have to spend night now and
then on his claim, that he might go
to the neighboring towns and secure
work until time to prove up on the
quarter section. In this manner many
were enabled to gain title to their
claims who otherwise would have
abadoned them years ago.
The country is dotted with little
"shacks" just large enough for a
nan to lie down and stretch out.
They are built of small logs with
dirt roofs.
Hundreds of these homesteaders
who built the little shacks have left
the country, but they carried with
them the title to the land. Early in
the game they expected to sell out TO
the cattle men, but their very num-
bers put the cattle raisers out oil
business and when patents were is
sued and they were in position to sci!
there were no cattlemen to buy. The
abandoned homes" can be seen all
over the bad Lands" country, on
which a ride of half a day fails to
disclose a single one who has stuck
to his claim.