The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1913-08-21
S,4o6 Virgin Farms.

Nearly 5000 l6O-acre farm homes
Will be drawn by the lucky ones''
as the result of the throwing open of
] ,345, 300 acres of land upon the Fl.
Peck Indian reservation in north
eastern Montana next month. This
is the last great land drawing Uncle
Sam has to offer his people and one
of the greatest in the history of
government land openings in point
of fertility. Government agricul-
tural experts estimate that when this
vast stretch of virgin soil is titled it
will add about %, 100000 bushels Of
grain annually to the production of
the United States enough to feed
an entire nation.
The Interior Department is max
ing extensive preparations to rush a
big corps of clerks to Glasgow, Havre
and Great Falls, which are to be the
registration points. These land
Offices will be open September l next
and the work of filing fer this land
will then begin. The people will
have chance to continue filing UNI
til September 90.
The vastness of The area opened to
white sett Iement is expected to make
this one of the most alluring land
openings ever presented to the people
inasmuch as their opportunity Of
|, II,
will be much better than in any pre-
vious land opening. For instance
when The Occur D'Alene, Flathead
and Spokane land drawings were
held last year total of 80 900 people
filed and drew for the lands ia those
three Indian reseryatit MS, the total
area of which was about cne-fourt h
of the area to he opened upon the Ft.
Peck reservation. Gov ernme IL
officials do not think that more than
900 people will file for the Fort
Peek land, Hence The chances OF
drawing quarter section in the Ft.
Peck reservation lottery are about
four times as good at they have been
in previous government land draw
ings. The actual value of this land
is said by government agricultural
experts to average about S25 an acre
However, the governments appraisal
for its opening to white settlement
is only from $3.50 to - per acre
thus making real prizes for those who
draw this land.
The drawing will take place in
this way. The names Of all who file
for land will be placed in big box
and the envelopes drawn out one by
one and numbered, until enough
envelopes are taken from he box tc
correspond with the number oil
quarter sections available-8,4 O6
Those getting the early numbers will
: of course get first pick of the land, il
rotation, according to the numbers
, drawn. Then actual settlement o
the land will begin May |, 1914
Settlement is the same as under thu
homestead law, except that the APP
praised va luation must be paid-fron
$3.50 to ~ per acre, at these terms
One-ffth of the total down at tim,
of entry and the rest in five annua
payments. The settler, however
has the option of taking advantage
of the new three-year homestead Law
by paying for his land at the end o
three years and thus proving up or
e it. This gives the man of small
: means chance for his white alley
e Half dozen modern town sites al
t ready have been located by the gov.
e eminent at points along the mail
! transcontinental line of the Grea
$ Northern Railway which run
t through the Fl. Peck reservation 70
. 100 miles.
= Taken up on August 9th, one chest
> nut stallion weighing about 1, 100 lbs