The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-07-19
North Dakota Seeks Establish.
ment es Natural Beauty
Spot of Much Charm

Regardless of what action may be
taken on the proposal to create a
national park in North Dakota's Bad
Lands there is no doubt but that the
people of North Dakota arc solidly
behind the project. And any con-
gresham who wishes to know if this
is so need only to read the congress
: sional record in which will be print
ed testimony Of prominent citizens
as presented TO the senate public
/. lands committee at Medora last
: week.
: Congressman James n. Sinclair,
in opening the presentation of evil
dence to the committee, stressed the
advantages Of the Bad Lands as a
natural, unsoiled playground for
all who like the great outdoors, as
well as the sentimental value which
attaches to the region by reason of
the fact that Roosevelt found there
the health and strength which sus-
tanned him in an active life.
Sinclair plans to present at Wash
ington, before the proper commit
tees of the house and senate. de-
project and list Of the land which
it will be necessary to acquire to
make North Dakota's dream Of ma
tional park come le
State Wants Park
Governor A. c. Sorlie. assuring
the committee that the state was
400 per cent sold on the park idea"
said that the time TO create the park
is now since he land needed for it
will never be cheaper.
The nation needs more national
parks and will need more as the
years go by. he said. and the Bad
Lands are so located as TO make
them a natural and reasonable place
for a park which would be another
ling in the chain of parks extending
across the northern part of the Unit
ed States.
The Northern Pacific railroad. he
said. will surrender its immense land
holdings in the area. which were &C
quired from the government without
cost, and the additional land can be
picked up for little or nothing. He
placed the cost Of the entire project
at 81 600, 900 which he said would be
small when compared to the advan-
tage which would accrue to the pub
lie generally if the park were Gre
ated. The Bad Lands also would
offer a natural preserve for birds
and game which are now rapidly dis.
appearing from the western prairies
he said.
Procedure Outlined
Sinclair, Congressman o. B. Burt
ness and Attorney General George
F. Shafer joined in outlining a pro.
cedure whereby the government ma,
acquire the state and school land.
located in the proposed park area
The law under which these lands
were granted to the state forbids
sale of the land for less than SIC
an acre. Some Of the land is Of lit.
tie or no value for agricultural pur-
poses and has never been sold be-
cause there were no buyers.
The lawyers agreed that the state
could not give the land back to the
government outright but that pro-
vision might be made for trading
them for other government land OF
similar value located elsewhere in
the state or that the land grant law
might be amended so as to permit
the state to give or sell the land back
to the government for practically
nothing. The opinion was unanimous
that the North Dakota legislature
would do quickly and without hest
tation whatever was necessary to
facilitate this movement, Shafer
pointing out that a resolution passed
at the last regular session put the
legislature on record in this respect
The recreational and commercial
advantages Of a national park in
North Dakota would be many. ac-
cording to C. E. Danielson of the
Greater North Dakota association.
He explained that his organization
is interested in the project for these
reasons.
Railroad Interested
j. M. Hughes, land commissioner
for the Northern Pacific railroad,
said his company owns $500 acres
in the proposed park area. The last
valuation, he said, gave this land an
average value of 1886 per acre and
this figure included some relatively
high-priced land which would be ex-
cluded from the park area. The
present value of the property, he
said, would be less than that figure.
Reciting the steps which have
been taken by the Northern Pacific
with regard to the Bad Lands park,
Hughes said his company would he