Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1920-01-03
THE STATE PARK
Harry Way Points Out What May be
Expected if State Secures Addi-
tional 80, 900 Acres Land

To THE EDITOR OF CUSTER CHRONICLE:
DEAR SIR:-In your last weeks issue
appeared an article telling of the i'm
provements that the state will make in
the State Park and the $4,000 acres Of.
land they are trying to secure, EN-
bracing the scenic beauties of Sylvan
Lake, the Needles, aud Harney Peak
| ask your permission 10 point out what
may be reasonably expected from the
state administration Of such land, judg
ing by what the state has already done
to the State Park since it obtained con-
troll Of it a few years ago.
For those who are not acquainted
with the State Park, it may be said that
it consists Of two types of land. First,
the agricultural land occupied by set
tiers, many Of whom have occupied
their farms and acquired United States
patent to them years before the State
Game Preserve was established or
thought Of Second, the rough, broken,
| timbered land, of value for its timber,
mineral resources, scenic beauty, and
grazing purposes, all enclosed by an
eight foot fence, and covering about
$4,000 acres.
The timber lands since they haye
been removed from the protection Of
the National Forest, of which they
formed a part prior to their ownership
by the State is being rapidly denuded
of its timber by destructive numbering
operations such as is not permitted in
the National Forest adjoining it, and
with the ruthless stripping Of the tim
ber from the land, its scenic beauty as a
park, is being destroyed. Nowhere
within its forest does the National
Forestry Service permit such unrestrict-
ed cutting Of standing timber The pine
bug DendroctOnus, few years ago ac-
complished a pretty thorough job OF
destruction in parts of the Black Hills
Forest, but the bug had nothing on the
State as destroyer of wooded scenery
was recently informed by an engineer
that most striking view of the deyast-
ated area can be obtained from the top
of Sheep Mountain, and from outside
in the State Park form conspicuous
landmark when viewed from the outside
valley land, which can be seen for many
miles
OF course, scenery is largely matter
of taste, and the Park Board
may consider that they are beautifying
the natural beauties of the Park, but to
most tourists, the dead stumps of a saw
mill setting will not make inviting
camping places, except to such
persons as would select a cemetery as a
cheerful place for picnic.
Now, as to what the State administra-
ton has done for the settlers. 1t is the
policy of the State Administration that
the settlers, around hom they have
built their fence, shall be deported from
their homes, bet since this is the United
States, and the United States has grant |
ed them their land for themselves and
their heirs, forever, their removal can
not be effected without some showing of
law, although the Justice of the proceed
ngs may be omitted.
The state has many resources by
which it can make life miserable for the
unfortunate farmers it has corralled. 1t /
has buffalo, elk, attorneys and other
wild beasts with which to afflict its
victims, and make them anxious to get
of their homesteads and sell them out
to the State at its own price. Elk des
troy their crops, the state cannot be
sued for damages, although it put them
there. The State can refuse TO allow
the farmers to utilize the grazing land
by renting grazing privileges as the Ma
tional Forest Service does in other parts
of National Forest. The State b. these
means depreciates the value of their
lands and stands ready to buy them out
at its own price when they are ready to
quit and boiler enough. The State has
no competitive bidders to establish
prices, for if a farmer tries to sell his
land to anyone else except the State, |
the prospective buyer is given to under
stand what he will be up against if he
buys it. Failing any other method oil
inducing the farmer TO sell his land, the |
State holds over him as club the righ t
they obtained from the last legislature
to condemn his land and force sale.
The patent whereby the United States
gives and grants the homesteader's land
to him, reads In Testimony Whereof |
/, Woodrow Wilson, President of the |
United States of America, have caused
letters to make patent, and the seal Of |
the General Land Office to be hereunto
affixed, the homesteader may we'll ask |
if this also is "a scrap of paper"
The agricultural lands with their
farms might easily be fenced out from
the wooded section of the park, and the
majority of the farms left out for cult
yation and stock raising, not only to the
benefit Of the farmers, but also to the
county, for the driving out of our citi
zens with their property is a loss both
in good citizenship and assessable prop
erty for the county at large. But this is
not the State policy; Why the State
wishes to do this hardship aud injustice
is not easy to understand, unless the
history Of the conception of the State
Game Preserve throws light on it,
When the State Game Preserve was
originally established, it pre- vided for
the fencing up of about 10000 acres of
| land 10 hold small herd OF buffalo. II