The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-04-15
LAND SALE
BRINGS GOOD PRICES
School Land In Sphinx and Hyde Coun-
ty Brings From $27 to $205
Per Acre

The following accounts of the sale
Of state and school lands in Sphinx and
Hyde county indicate that land in
this vicinity is due for further sub
~stantial raises in price.
The high mark at the sale held in
Redfield of $205 an acre paid for a
fcrty-acre tract two miles from that
city, while SCI per acre, was paid for
an S0-acre tract in Hyde county the
before. In last years sale in Hand
county the highest price paid was
Si27.50 for an S0-acre tract.
The following account of the Sphinx
county sale gives SOM of the details:
Redfield Journal Observer-About
1880 acre of virgin prairie sold for
sums totalling 81, 200, 900 at an auction
sale of school lands in Sphinx county
that were offered Tuesday by the state
land department. The price per acre
ranged from $40 for a tract on Bald
Mountain west of Redfeld, to $205 for
the northeast quarter of the northwest
quarter OF section 16, Redield town
ship. less than two miles from the city
Of Redfield. This top price was paid
by 7. j. Ingles. This forty vas APP
praised at 1928 per acre.
The proportion of appraised valu-
alton and purchase price indicated in
this particular description is charac-
~teristic of the proportion hat prevail
ed in a large majority of the sales.
On some pieces there was no compet-
ition so the buyer was not compelled
to go over the valuation put upon it
by the state officials.
Five-sixths Of the land that was
offered was sold.
4 Lease Rates High
Following the sale of land, other
school land was put up for lease and
some of this went as high as $3.50 per
acre on a lease of hay land.
S150,0O0 Paid in One Day
On Wednesday $15O.0OO was paid
into the office of county treasurer
Robertson as the first installment of
the purchase price, together with
amounts to be applied on the lease.
The sale was a wonderful indication
OF the development of Sphinx county.
The prices paid seem more remarkable
from the fact that the buyer gets only
the bare land; the price overs no
improvement at all. 1t has no fence
and has never been touched with a
riow.
Though the sale was advertised to
be held in the court room, il became
apparent as the crowd assembled that
that room would not be adequate, so
the sale was transferred to the sale
PAVILION. Even that was crowded.
Buyers came from every corner of the
county.
State Land Commissioner N. f.
Knight introduced the sale with an
explanation concerning terms and
conditions of sale.
In answer to a question put to him
as to when such a sale would again
be held in this county he ventured the
assertion that not again for three
years and possibly for fifteen years,
The state laws provides that only a
limited ai1ount shall be sold each
year. and inasmuch as sales are being
held in seventeen counties this year
It is impossible to include excessive
acreage in any one county. Sales are
being demanded IN tho territory west
Of the Missouri river more than ever
before. Mr.. knight predicted that
never again will school land in Sphinx
county sell for less than it ,would
bring at this sale. The sale lasted
until midnight.
The 1880 acres offered is a com
p~aratively small part of this large
county that is t~hirty-six miles from
east 10 west, anu ioIty-tWo mlieS irohi
rorth to south. Land in the cxtrem7
southeast orner of the county, twenty
five miles from a railroad, which was
appraised at SIT an acre, was sold at
sl3S per acre when two neighbors got
to bidding against each other for the
possession of 1t.
Highmore-A total of 144O acres
was sold (out Of the 10,7Oo, acres ad-
vertised for sale) at a total of about
is the 40 sold at SGT per acre. and the
highest is an so at SCI. The average
ST.. 12O. The lowest price on the list
price per acre totals approximately
s46.6O,