The Delta independent., 1922-01-13
HoMEsTEADiNG IN NATIONAL
FORESTS OF COLORADO

When the National Forests were
carved out OF the public domain the
operation of the homestead laws with
in them was suspended. Many home
steads had been entered and patented
prior to that time and considerable
number of squatters were occupying
land in the hope that the extension of
the public survey would eventually al
low them to perfect their titles.
1t was several years before a reali
cation that agricultural land was in
cluded within the forests was express
ed in the Forest Homestead Act of
June II, 1906. This act gave the Sec
retary of Agriculture, who was
charged with the administration of
the forests, authority to open to entry
lands which were found to be chiefly
valuable for agriculture and not abso
! lutely necessary for forest purposes.
Congress recognized that it would not
be practical to allow homestead en-
tries to be made without check, be-
cause it had been found that home
steading was not confined to land
which would actually make good
Aui IL " 90 tAC Pui pooo VI thc law
to allow entries which were not vital
to the administration of the forest.
Occasionally there are lands of agri-
cultural value which contain the only
available stock water required to use
a large range unit, or they cover the
only areas available for sawmill sites.
banking grounds, sailing or bunch
grounds, or. very often the agricultural
lands are limited to little pockets In
the mountains too small in area to be
economically farmed.
Under the terms OF the Forest
Homestead law the Secretary Of Agri-
culture is allowed to determine what
lands are in fact chiefly valuable for
agricultural land. II any, had to be
withheld from entry because OF their
necessity for other purposes.
During six years applications were
received and handled under the Forest
Homestead law. There was no pro-
vision for examining land in large
areas and the process was one OF
piecemeal action on individual appli-
cations which sometimes resulted In
examiners having to return time after
time to a given locality. which, under
different practice might have been
examined in single trip. To avoid
such expensive duplication OF work
Congress passed the act of August 10.
1912. under which the Secretary OF
Agriculture was empowered to pro
ceed with the classification OF all the
National Forest areas and make avail
able at once all of the lands which
could be opened to entry under the
Forest Homestead law. The work of
classification has been completed and
the lands which were found to be
suitable for farming have been listed
with the General Land Office and open
ed to entry.
Aside from the operation OF the For
est Homestead law large areas of
agricultural land have been thrown
open to entry through the readjust-
ment OF the forest boundaries. Ap-
proximately 100000 acres in Colo
RADIO (about IL per cent OF the original
withdrawals) have been eliminated
from the forests. These lands were
eliminated partly because they had
least value for timber production and
partly because of their agricultural
values.
The results which have been obtain
ed on the lands which were opened to
entry Indicate that the policy was lib
eral and in advance OF economic re-
quirements. The boundaries OF the
National Forests in Colorado have an
average elevation OF perhaps 5000
feet, above which the winters are very
long and severe, with short growing
seasons and long feeding seasons. The
short growing seasons means that
crops are limited in number and often
deficient In yield. Occasional seasons
are encountered in which killing
frosts occur in midsummer. causing
crop failures. 1t takes relatively
large area to make n successful farm
under such conditions. while the
arabic lands in the mountain valleys
are usually very limited in extent
Add the hardships incident to severe
winters, remoteness from trading
points. and lack OF community ad-
vantages, and 1t is clear that the op-