The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1920-02-27
WESTERN LANDS ARE
STILL AVAILABLE
Lands Still Open For Pre-Emp-
J tion Are Grazing, Farming,
Fruiting, Mining-SOme Re-
quire Irrigation.
100 ACRES AVAILABLE
UP TO A MILE SQUARE

Not all the lands of the West have
been put under cultivation, and there
are someyet that have not passed in
to private ownership. Certain of these
lands are in Wyoming, some in Ore
gon, and yet still others in other Sec
tions of the West.
In answer to many inquiries a wri-
ter from Caspar, Wy, gives the fol-
lowing data that young men in the
East who contemplate taking up
these lands may know about what to
expect in case they take a trip West
to make home:
Government land in Wyoming and
the West in general is divided into
several classes, and prospective oil
lands on the oil structures are classed
as mineral lands, valuable for petro-
leum and also for the most part, these
lands are withdrawn from public en-
try so that a man cannot take UP
acreage on these domes. However,
there are other structures where no
withdrawal has been made and where
it would be possible to take home
stead entry.
" The homestead entry does not of
itself entitle the homesteader to the
mineral rights, but he or she way OBJ
tain such rights by valuation and
placer claims so that in the end, the
homesteader will own his title to both
the ground and it's mineral content.
In fact the oil companies are recog-
nizing the homesteader as an owner
of mineral content of his lands.
whether he has taken title to same or
not, and in a few years this custom
will likely make the possession of a
homestead title include the mineral
title by the law of custom.
The lands described as mineral
bearing lands and not included in the
withdrawals to provide a naval fuel
OIL reserve, also require different
forms of application from that of a
regular homestead and this class in
.cludes coal lands lying 20 miles or
more from the railroad.
!. Lands that are considered as tim
Der or lumber districts also require
certain procedure different from the
regular homestead application as do
siaHis sted districts and also tracts for
grazing purposes. For instance, in
case a sheep owner wishes, he may
make entry under the grazing law for
certain designated lands to Craze his
sheep upon, this does not prevent the
same land or any part of it from be-
ing applied for by homesteader and
the homesteader's claim will have
priority over the sheep or cattle
owner who only wants the land for
grazing. At present large area in
Northern Wyoming is to be thrown
open to homesteaders and the govern
ment has just completed a vast irri-
cation system which will turn what
has formerly been classed as desert
land into fine farming country. This
land is designated as irrigated land
and cannot be homesteaded as ordi-
nary desert land but must be purchas-
ed. However, the government con-
tracts for the purchase of such lands
are very reasonable in price and the
terms permit payments to extend
over a long period, so thaat in effect
the land pays for itself many times
over before the last payment is due.
Cases of recent sales of irrigated
lands in the Big Horn Basin country
have shown that the advance in pri-
ces was most phenomenal and as high
as 200 per cent has been made on the
sales OF some ranches.
The ordinary procedure to obtain a
homestead on public lands is to first
examine the tract desired. There
are parties who agree to select a tract
and start a homesteader for a fee but
this method is usually found unsatis-
fastory. After looking over the land,
the section or sections are located
and an application for land office
plat OF the township made. This plat
is obtained as follows: In case the
prospective homesteader only wiLhes
to know what lands are taken IN OF
Withdrawn, he sends 81 to the land
office and plat with the tracts al
ready homesteaded or withdrawn for
mineral entry or other reasons are
shown marked with a cross. For Sc
the plat will show what Kind of en-
tries are made and for So the names
OF the parties making entry. This
enables the prospective homesteader
to see at a glance just what lands
have been taken in the vicinity of the
tracts he wishes.
Acres up to GAO acres of one square
mile can be taken under the home
stead law but the expenses on larger
areas are rather heavy and the aver
age entry appears to be about half
section or 800 acres. The area does
not have to be. within certain sec
ton but several different tracts may
be specified sa for instance, where an
entry is made alongside a railroad
Sometimes these entries run parallel
with a railroad or Stream.
If the homsteader is satisfied with
the land he examines, he then files
an application for entry with the land
office of the district and he must then
live upon the land seven months out
of each year for a period of three
years, also fence a specified portion
and plow and plant certain acreage
beside erecting a residence thereon.
At the expiration Of the three years
he is given title to the land by the
government upon the payment Of GER