The Green Forest tribune., 1913-09-26
SUNK LANDS TO
 BE HOMESTEADE:D
55,ooo ACRES OF ARKANSAS LAND WILL BE OPENED BY FED-
 ERAE GOVERNMENT.
SETTLERS GET FIRST CHOICE
Land Lies in Northeastern Arkan9 and Contains Some of State'e
 Most Fertile Lands.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
 Washington n-Approximately 55,006 acres of sunk and lake lands in north eastern Arkansas will be opened for homestead entry between now and January l by the government, the set tiers upon the land to be given pref erence rights to file on the land which contains some of the most fertile acres in the entire state. It was announced by the General Land Office that tue plats of Township II and 12 north, Range 6 east, have been completed and were approved July 30, 1913. It is expected that the plats will be trans mitted to the local United States Land Office at Little Rock within the next few days, and notice thereof will be published and a date set on which en- trie. for the government lands there on may be filed.
 On December ?, 1908, the origihal de- cision was rendered by the Interior Department, holding that certain lands in Township II and 16, Range 6 east, and 12 to IT north. Range east, WHICH Haul UtGu doul td cSS Stllih lands and left unsuryeyed at the date of the original surveys of said town ships, had been eroneously measured and that there were within said areas lands belonging to the United States. survey was accordingly directed, the decision was reviewed by tre de partment on February .27, 1909, and the previous holding sustained of the 12 townships affected by the decision.
 The survey of seven of them have been completed in the fields and the field work has been started on the re maining five and the work is now ready for extension.
 In August, 1910, theSlnterior Depart ment declared that Bul Hear. Flat Grassy, Walker Carson, Hickory and Tyronza lakes belonged to the govern ment and surveys were ordered. The first of these lakes containing an area 1 of approximately 12,000 acres, have been surveyed and were opened to en- try November 16, 1912. The survey ink work on the remaining three has been completed in the field, but the plat and field notes have not been pre- pared. It is expected that the work will be completed some time during the present year and that the lands embraced within them also VII be opened to entry. The acreage of the remaining three lakes is approximately 5000 acres.
 The so-called Big Lake in Missssip- pi county, embracing approximately 25,000 acres and several other smaller. lakes, have been investigated in the field as to their topography and physi- cal nature and hearings held, at which testimony was taken to determinye whether the lands embraced therein similarly involved as to the other lake lands Decisions have not been rem dered as to these, however. Suits, in- volving the question of titles to Moon. Buford, Flat. Grassy, Walker and Clear lakes, have been instituted against ad- verse claimants by the government to purpose of quiet title to these lands, and are now pending in the federal courts of Arkansas.
 It is also announced by the General Land Office that other suits will like ly be instituted when the surveys have been completed Much of the remain ing lands situated i2 the townships for which the corrected plats have not yet been completed, are covered with settlers. These settlers will be given a preference right to make entry if they are otherwise qualified at the time the lands are opened to entry.