Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-02-10
NO [0TTERY PLAN
FOR LAND FILING
Next Standing Rock Opening.
Booked For This Spring.
to Occur Under Open
Filing Rights.

1 lllnDGI ihhke. - ~. solN"lfI. . ~
next big land opening IN the west will
take place in April or May. wheE an
Immense area OF that part of the
lStanding Rock Indian reservation
which extends MO the Forth central
~aection of South Dakota will be opened
for White settlement. Thousands Of
homesteaders thus vii. nave an oppor-
tunity To secure farms OF 100 acres
each at the minimum government
| price.
Information Received acre rom
Washington is To the effect that either
April 10 or MAY /. next, viii be liked
as the time for the opening. Hereto
fore public and usually have been
declared open To white settlement at
midnight. but under IL ieW arrange
ment the Standing Rock reservation
lands will be opened for settlement at
9 o'clock on the morning They are de-
clared a part of the public aoinain and
subject to homestead entry. The open
ing will be under the supervision OF
John McPhall. the new government
superintendent of puh!i, land open
ings. who succeeded Judge Witten. un-
der whose direction millions OF acres
of land In the northwest had been
opened to settlement during the past
~ years.
No Registration Plan.
I'm case of the Sranding Rock lands
there will be no registration and draw
ing as heretofore and III its place either
one of two plans under consideration
will be adopted. The first plan is SIM
ply that OF having the applicants for
land present themselves at the district
United States !and office immediate
y after 8 O'Clock on the day of the
opening and present their applications
for filing There are Serioti objections
to this plan. however. because where
there Is any great demand for land
such as there has been at a great many
openings i'm the past, people stand i'll
line for TWO OF three days in order TO
of making homestead entry. This
naturally results In considerable dis
order and no small hardship.
The second plan under consideration
is the one adopted by Superintendent
McPhan Tor use at the opening of the
mer, and probably will be adopted for
the opening of the Standing Rock
lands. THIS plan is TO give any per-
son capable OF making homestead en-
Try the right. say 10 days before the
date fixed for tne opening, to go to the
district United States land office where
such application will be given "sus-
pended filing ON the particular tract
of 100 acres which he or she wants.
Any number of persons can secure sus-
pended filing on the same tract of land.
but of course All applicant can have
but one such filing. Then at the end
of the 15-day period all persons who
have suspended filings on the same
tract of land Will have d LITTLE drawing
OF their own. unds- the supervision OF
the superintendent, and the person
whose name is the first 10 be drawn
from the box will have the right to
make a regular homestead entry cover
ing the land in question.
Sauatters' Rights Best.
1t fs understood, however. that
neither of these plans will prevent any
person from "squatting'' on the land
Immediately after the hour of opening.
n i'll a contest between one who has
%squatted n a person who has filed mt
the district United States land office
on the same tract OF land and at the
same time. preference, vt is believed.
would, as in the past, he given the
| squatter.
The prices which the government
will charge for the Standing Rock
lands which are to be opened to white
settlement are as follows: Those max
ing entry during the first three months
will be required to pay IS per acre.
one-fifth of which must be paid in
cash. which. together with the entry
fee OF $l4, will make an initial payment
of $174. Those making entry within
the next three months will be required
to pay $3.50 an acre and the entry fees,
making q total of s126 as the initial
payment. All lands remaining unen-
tered after the expiration Of the six
months may be secured at $3.50 per
acre n fees.