The Holly chieftain., 1920-01-22
LAMAR LAND DISTRICT
PRACTICALLY ALL TAKEN
OF the 10000 Acres Available in
1915 Only Few Isolated Tracts
Are Now Open.

The thorough manner in which
the army OF grasshOppers made
away with Kansas crops in the late
7Os finds its counterpart in the way
that the land-hungry citizens of
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and
Texas have invaded the Lamar land
district during the past seven years
and seized upon every available
acre of desirable homestead land.
The facts are set forth strikingly
in summary prepared by Register
A. l.. Beavers last week.
The big land rush began seven
years ago, but when Register
Beavers and Receiver McGrath
took charge of the office in 1915 the
Lamar land district still contained
100000 acres OF land open to set
Element. Today there are only a
few isolated tracts and q few thous-
and acres of broken fOOthill land
left available for filing. The area
of public land remaining in the
Lamar district is less than that of
any other district in the state with
the exception of Hugo.
Although the big land rush in
this district ended about three
yaers ago, there is evidence that
settlers consider the land here the
most desirable in the state. In
quiries reach the land office every
day from various points east and
south, and contests are becoming
more numerous month by month.
During the past five years nearly
$500 contests have been filed and
already this year the office has set
hearings for nearly fifty contest
eases. HOmesteaders find it wise
to stick to their land closely and
comply strictly with all the rules
of the game laid down by Uncle
Sam.
The number of entries made dur
ing the past five years totals ll,027
and in addition the office carries
several Thousand more live entries
on it's books. Thi sentils handling
a larger number of individual rec
Ords than are carried by any con-
Germ in the county. The Lamar Of
flee has less clerical help than
many other Offices doing a much
smaller volume of business, but de-
spite this fact its records are kept
up to date and it is never more
than two weeks behind in the
matter of issuing final receipts.
Only seven other land Offices in
the United States received more
applications than the Lamar office
during the fiscel year ending June
3Oth last, and only five more land,
according to the official report of
the commissioner of the general
land office. A total of 2642 appli-
cations were received at Lamar,
and patents were issued on 3S5,06f
acres of land.
The Pueblo office. which has a
very large district, during the same
period received 3,515 applications
and patented 24S,4 acres of land
The Phoenix, Arizona, office, the
only land office in that state dur
ing the same period received 1922
applications and patentend 152,997
acres of land.
All of the offices that exceeded
Lamar in any manner had from
two to three times the number of
clerks that the Lamar office.
The Lamar office since December
1917, has been operating. with only
three regular clerks and since
August, 1919, with only two.
Many offices that have fallen far
below the Lamar office have cost
the government as much or more
than the Lamar office to operate
even when located in government
buildings.
In view of the business done and
the showing made when compared
with other Offices, the officials and
clerks of the Lamar office have
reason to feel proud of the work
done by the local office.-Lamar
Sparks: