i
IN
LAND OF PROFITABLE OPPORTUNITY.
BY WILHAM L. LARKIN.
THE
UNCLE SAM. never In the history
of the nation was more pro
fuse in bis provision for the
home builder than be is today. The
love of the soil is inbred in the race.
It Is responsible for the pioneering
spirit which has ever sent men west
ward, driven the frontier toward the
Betting sun, and built up in the Missis
sippi valley nnd beyond an empire
now just on the eve of its fullest
greatness.
This year will be marked in the his
tory of the homeseeker and settler.
The government will on June. 15 open
to settlement under the United States
homestead law over 1,000,000 acres of
land in the foothills of the Wind river
range and on the plains of Wyoming.
Any freeborn citizen of our country
can secure his quarter section free of
cost, for the nominal land office fee
and the sum of one dollar and fifty
cents an acre in easy payments, and
the government land department at
Washington Is now ready to give in
formation to ell Inquirers.
The region covered by this reserva
tion is being rapidly brought within
easy reach by an extension of the Chi
cago & Northwestern railway to Lan
der, in the Lander valley. Here the
government Innd office is situated and
the allotment of e!aim3 next .Tunc will
probably bo made here and at, Sho
Bhoni. This is one of the finest grazing dis
tricts In the west and it is quite prob
able that the region will with the new
railway facilities develop into a cattle
and sheep feeding region great 3r than
ever before.
WouM ustft!n 5.GO0.0C0 People.
The state of Wyoming, which has
an area of 97.890 ri:l?s, 1ms sufficient
agricultural nnd mineral resources to
sustain an nnny of 5,000.000 people,
yet the estinuitej population is o'j'..v
120,000. Wyoming today has more
miles of railroad and more natural ad
vantages to attract population than Il
linois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan
possessed in lbtO. The state is l.iter
sperced with fertile valleys and rolling
plains covered with nutritious grasses,
which furnishes excellent grazing land
foi stoe!: raising. " Tho climate is
healthy, and the medical prafossion
throughout the country is becoming
more generally cognizant of this fact
every yenr. The soil Is a light sandy
loam in' tire Upland, and in the valleys
has a dark', rich appearance, which
when Irrigated produces bountiful
crops In cereals and vegetables of all
kinds. Wyoming has an area of 48,
000,000 ncrc3 of land that is subject to
entry under the government land laws,
and 10,000,00.0 acres of this Is suitable
for agricultural purposes when prop
erly irrigated. To the state of Wy
oming Js largely due the credit for se
curing the act of Congress which pro
Tides for the reclamation of the arid
lands of the mountain states. Under
this law the revenue derived from the
sale of public land goes into a fund
for building reservoirs nnd canals for
the storage of water and the Irrigation
of lands that nature fails to provide
for. 1 The government has placed over
$27,000,000 to the credit of this fund,
and a. large proportion of this amount
l now being utilized to Irrigate two
trig projects' in the state of yoming.
The most important one is tne bno
shone irrigation proposition, for which
the government has appropriated $2,
250,000 to complete. ' The other irriga
ting proposition Is known as the North
Platte project, which is now under
construction', nnd will cost the govern
ment 1,000,000 before the water can
be turned into the ditches.
It is conservatively estimated that
$10,000,000 will be spent during the
next decade by the federal govern
ment in carrying out irrigating pro
jects in the state of Wyoming, which
have nlready been submitted for con
sideration. The amount of good this
great undertaking will do the state
and humanity In general cannot be
correctly estimated. Thousands of
workmen will be given an opportuni
ty to take up land nnd at the same
time secure employment from the gov
ernment In constructing the big reser
voirs and ditches. Bv this method the
woekmnn who ventures into the land
of onnortunitv is guaranteed steady
employment and at the same time has
a chance to- take up a quarter section
of land and Improve it during the con
struction f the irrigating outcn. up
Take a Trip to Union
College on the Open
Cars Sunday-Delight-fui,
Refreshing, Invigorating
portunlties of this character never pre
sented themselves in the early history
of the Central and Eastern states. The
pioneers that built up and developed
the country during its primitive state
experienced hardships and privations
that the homeseeker of today knows
nothing about. In those days it was a
case of weeks and months of travel,
with an ox team and prairie schooner,
to find the land of opportunity. Today
The Northwestern Line lands the
homeseeker at the very door of
his claim and the government
provides him with a quarter sec
tion of land and a position on
the irrigating ditch if he desires
to work. No more hardships like
our fathers and grandfathers experi
enced during the early history of the
Central state3. Pioneering on a home
stead in the West today is more like
an outing or vacation, where you
throw off the sweaty garments of toil
and become a free man. Here the su
perior officer does not figure in your
dally work, and the automatic time
keeper is blotted out of your memory.
The state of Wyoming has an area of
10.000,000 acres of timber land, which
offers inducements to the man who
wishes to engage in the lumber busi-.
ness. Five million head of sheep were
marketed last year from the state,
valued at $17,500,000, which is another
occupation worthy of note. Six mil
lion dollars wortli of wool was mar
keted last year from the herds of
sheep that graze on the nutritious
grasses in all parts of this great Won
derland of resources. Vast iron, coal
and precious metal deposits are found
in paying quantities and mined cheap
ly. One of the finest groups of hot
mineral springs to be found in the
world is located near Thermopolis, at
the northeastern corner of the reserva
tion. , If Wyoming were nothing but a bar
ren waste it would still be known to
the civilized world through the won
derland of the earth the Yellowstone
national park. The scenic wonders of
this great geological enigma are no
where repeated In nature, which gives
the Yellowstone park an individuality
that makes It stand out prominently
far beyond anything offered elsewhere
to the world s army of sight-seers.
Its wonderful colorings and shadings
are beyond description, and the artist
does not live who can truthfully por
tray on canvas the beauties of this
world's wonderland.
Vast Country to be Developed.
A vast territory as rich in mineral
deposits and agricultural requisites re
mains to be explored on Its onward
march to the Pacific as was found in
the early history of Illinois, Iowa,
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
As this article goes to press eighty
pound steel rails are being spiked to
the cedar ties along the right of way
which extends the Wyoming and
Northwestern from Casper to Lander,
a distance of 145 miles, which links
Chicago and the great commercial
points along the big Chicago & North-,
western system with another great
land proposition. This new extension
will land passengers directly on the
Shoshone Indian reservation, . which
the government opens to settlers June
15, 1906.
Shoshone Reservation. ';' '
It contains 1,140,000 acres of land, a
third of which is adaptable for agri
cultural purposes and the remainder
for grazing, stock and dairy pursuits.
It is bounded on the east by the Big
Horn river and on the south by the
Wind river, which, together with nu
merous small streams and springs fur
nishes ample water supply to settlers
who will gobble up this valuable tract
the moment Uncle Sam gives the sig
nal. Never in the history of the world
has there been such a demand for
public laud. The great rank and file
of Americans who labor with their
brains and brawn seem to have sud
denly discovered that land is the foun
dation of all wealth. The serious mis
understanding between capital and la
bor in the large trade centers has been
making converts rapidly for the gos
pel of free homes, pure air and inde
pendence. On account of the indus
trial depression in the great European
trade centers, many home seekers
have been attracted across the Atlan
tic, who, after a thorough investiga
tion of the situation, have crossed in
to Uncle Sam's domain, filed on a
quarter section of land, and today
as independent as the sovereign who
ruled over them during their dark
hours of depression. The United States
government reports show that nearly
as many home seekers pass over the
border line at Winnipeg into the Utait
ed States as come through the port of
New York.
Claim Shanty a Castle.
Out on the broad prairies of oppor
tunity the claim shanty is a castle
where the home seeker reigns as su- j
preme as a king oh his throne. It'is
a home of your own, where the rent
collector never figures in your monthly
obligations, where the green "grocer,
the milkman, and the butcher's week
ly statement never reachesyour dd.or.
It is a new world bubbling over with
hope and full of great expectations.
Every breath of pure air inhaled into
your lungs seems to invigorate your
system with renewed ambitions, t
The government homestead is a sort
of barricade provided by the all wise
Creator where one can get away from
life long friends gracefully, have a
chance to reflect over the silly mis
takes of the past, commune with Na
ture, make two blades of grass grow
where only o -. before, and Side
step any obje- tionable proposition that
presents itself.
The Shoshone reservation will be the
only public land thrown open to set
tlement next year, and for that reason
the demand for this valuable tract will
no doubt make ten applicants for ev
ery quarter section. The 1,140,000 .ac
res of the Shoshone reservation con
tain the cheapest lands offered the
home seeker since the great rush for
Dakota lands in 1879. The home seek
er who secured a piece of Dakota land
at this early date is a rich man today.
The Character of the Soil.
The land in the Shoshone . reserva
tion is far superior in many respects
to some of our older settled districts.
One-third of the land is what might
be termed agricultural. The remain
der of the land is a perfect cattle and
CONTINUED
FO'RGOT JWRy WAS SHO'RT
Judge Moore of Augusta, Mass., was
telling his experience with a jury
while he was trying cases in Kenne
bec county some years ago. He ap
peared as counsel for a man who had
been a close friend of his for years,
and he decided that the juror, because
of past friendshp,.-'would stand' by htm
in the case on trial. .
Finally the case went to the jury.
For hours they fought and argued in
the jury room in an effort to agree
upon a verdict. They came in for in
structions, and were again sent out
by the judge, who asked them to agree,
if such a thing was possible. All
night the Jury argued and wrangled,
and on the opening of court in the
morning reported a disagreement and
were dismissed.
Judge Moore hunted up his friend
on the jury, and asked him why he
could not swing the men into line.
"Strangest case ' I ever heard' of,"
Was Ready for Him.
Marry Lehr, apropos of imperti-
i nence, sai1 at a dinner at Newport:
I "The Englisn love to. be imperti
i nent'toi one another. Indeed, the'tnore
j aristocratic they ; are the more, it
) seems,, they shower upon apsides
their snubs and insults. 4 ,u
"Two very great swells,. one a young
duke and the' other a yeung' yistjjount.
sheep country. Thousands of tons of
wool and thousands of head of cattle
are shipped from Casper to the East
ern markets yearly. The soil is com
posed of a deep black loam formed
upon a subsoil of clay of unusual
depth. It is very fertile, easy to culr
tivate, and with irrigation, produces
crops of cereals, vegetables and grass
es that would actually astonish some
of the old time farmers in the East.
Some of the principal streams are
the Big Horn river, Wind river, Crow
creek, Muddy creek, and numerous
other streams of less importance.
In the immediate vicinity of Lander,
where the government office will be
located for the distribution of these
lands, small experimental farms have
been in operation for a number of
'years. During this period there has
never been an entire crop failure since
the first settler erected his sodhouse,
broke the first furrow on his new land
and planted his first crop.
The region also seems to have all
the indications that point out the way
to a great storehouse of mineral de
posits. The towns of Lewiston, At
lantic City, and South Pass in Fremont
county, have produced millions of dol-
Construction on the Main
lars in gold and silver. ' Knowing ones
claim to know where gold and silver
ores are stored in the Owl Creek
mountains in the northern part of the
reservation.
On the border line of the reserve,
in the northeast corner, is the town of
Thermopolis. Here the United States
government will in all probability
erect a soldiers' and sailors sanita
rium on account of the .wonderful
curative qualities found in the exten
sive hot springs located here.
Indications that point to a petrole
um pool near Lander will no doubt be
thoroughly followed up as soon as the
railroad is completed. Beds of coal,
mica, asphaltum, petroleum, tin, build
ing stone, and iron ore are found in
this vicinity, which increase the in
ducements offered the home seeker,
and create possibilities the results of
which no one can estimate until the
mines are developed. The reservation
abounds in fish of all kinds, and big
game, such as deer, elk, bear, and an
telope. .
Town lots have been selling rapidly
ever since the Northwestern surveyed
their line. Golden opportunities await
the business, professional and laboring
man in twenty of the new town sites
now building up between Casper and
Lander. , .
Government Iand Irrigation.
In June, 1902, 1 the government
passed a law known as the national
reclamation act, for the purpose of
providing large tracts of Western land
with sufficient water supply to trans-
ON PAGE EIGHT
said the juror, "and' we ain't found out
yet about it. After we had talked the
case over a while we balloted. There
were eleven for acquittal,- and the
twelfth man did not vote. We talked
it over for a while, balloted again, and
it stood just the same, the twelfth
man refusing to vote. We asked every
man how he stood on the case, and
they all favored acquittal, and I'll be
hanged if, when we voted, it wasn't
eleven for acquittal, with the con
founded twelfth hog refusing to vote:
We kept it up all . night, but he
wouldn't vote, and we finally gave up
in disgust."
"For heaven's sake," exclaimed
Judge Moore, "don't you remember
that we agreed to try that case with
eleven jurors, as one member of the
panel was taken sick just ' before
court came, in?" . , . . ,,
."Well, I'll be darned," shouted the
juror; "that accounts for the whole
business."
brushed against each other one night
at the theater.
' ' "The duke, anxious to snub the vis
count, pretended to take him for, an
usher and said, holding out his hand:
.. ."'Have you a program?'
, -'But the viscount, too quick for the
duke, smiled, and replied: . '
'. ("Yes, thank you, my man. I got
one from the other fellow.' " !
form a desert waste Into a garden
spot It is said in California that if
you plant gold dollars in the ground
and sprinkle it with water they will
actually grow, the soil is so rich.
Without irrigation California could not
produce enough fruit and vegetables
to supply the dining car service on the
Overland limited, yet California fruit
and vegetable lands are the highest
priced lands on the face of the earth,
all on account of the irrigating ditch.
Two of the most important govern
ment irrigating propositions are locat
ed on the Chicago & Northwestern.
One of 86,000 acres is in the Belle
Fourche district of South Dakota, in
the Black Hills country; the other is
known as the North Platte project, at
Alcova, Wyo., fifty-two miles south of
Casper, the present terminus of the
Northewestern line, where 350,000 ac
res of land will be placed under irri
gation. Largest Irrigation Ditch.
Nothing in the history of land de
velopment compares with the magni
tude of these two great undertakings.
It is a proposition where the home
seeker barricades himself againsT the
Canal at Crow Creek Sluice Belle Fourche
elements. He need not bother his
brain about the barometer and weath
er bureau. In the winter months, on
the proceeds of his sure crop, he can
make, faces at the thermometer, and
in summer the question of rainfall
does not interest him. ''";
In the Alcova . district the govern
ment has set aside $3,500,000 for the
completion of the Pathfinder dam and
ditches, which will furnish a storage
capacity of 1,000,000 acre feet, capa
ble of reclaiming and irrigating 350,
000 acres. The soil is a rich sandy
loam, and under government tost is
found to be capable of producing won
derful crops of small grain and vege
tables of all kinds and varieties. This
reservoir will cover thirty miles of ter
ritory, and the water supply will be
taken from the Sweet Water river by
means of a gigantic granite dam six
miles below the mouth, 210 feet high,
80 feet long at the base, and 250 feet
long at the crest, cemented in a box
canyon of granite that centuries of use
would not affect.
This canal 'Is the longest system of
irrigating ditches in the world.
Belle Fourche Projeet.
In the Belle Fourche district the
government is pushing to completion
a $2,500,000 irrigating ditch and reser
voir that will reclaim 86,000 acres.
The water for this gigantic undertak
ing will be secured from the Belle
Fourche river, about one mile from, the
town of Belle Fourche, and trans
ferred by gravitation to a reservoir or
lake bed, consisting of fifteen square
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miles, sixty feet In depthi This body
of water is made possible only by tha
construction of the largest artificial
embankment of earth in the , United
States. It is a trifle over a mile in
length, 100 feet high and twenty feet
w;ide . at . the top,- which is riprapped
with Back hills granite. Hundreds of
workmen are employed daily on this
great project, and the government en
gineers estimate it will require a year
or two to complete the work.
These two great , irrigation land
propositions are subject to homestead
entry under the terms of the home
stead law. The land -will be paid for
in ten annual installments of $3.20
each. The first payment is made after
the first crop is harvested, and the re
maining payments are to be made
yearly. It is estimated that these ir
rigated lands sold on these easy pay-'
ments will at once become worth all
the way from $40 to $70 per acre.
One great point in favor of the Belle
Fourche lands is the fact that there
is already established a great local
market for farm products almost at
the door of the farmer in the Black
Hills mineral district. , Deadwood and
Lead, only four miles apart, have the
Prolect, South Dakota
largest combined population of any,
comercial center in South Dakota."' ;
These two great' mining towns as&a
many smaller communities, including.
whitewood, Rapid City,. Sturgis ad y
Hot-Springs, are within a f ew:;hoiJrs,
ride'.' by rail of this' great irrigating";
proposition, and will' furnish a Jianvo,
market for thousands upon thousands
of dollars' worth of farm,, produce
yearly. .
Belle Fourche is the largest cattle
shipping point in the great Northwest.
Thousands of bead : of range cattle
are fattened ? here for market, and
thousands of head are fed in this vi-
cinity in the;winter months.-
Belle Fourche; the headquarters for 1
this great irrigation undertaking, has .
been, . a prosperous community for ..
years, ' and offers " wonderful induce
ments for business men in all branch- 7
es of trade. '-' 7' '';';'. ,
; ; J ' Pierre to Rapid City.
An Important extension of the Chi- j
cago & Northwestern railway that will
aid materially in developing this irri
gating proposition is now being com- 1
pleted between Pierre, the capital of 7
South Dakota, and BJapid City. This
new line will not orily aid in attract
ing the homeseeker to the many in-7
ducements offered in the irrigating dis-
trict, but will open up -' millions ?of''
-acres of agricultural and grazing land
subject to homestead entry in South
Dakota west of the Missouri river.
This new Hne.'. which extends across, '' ,
the entire western half of .South Da.
kota, -will form a junction with th ;
UPtlOW MADE- SHOES
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shoes, and have a full line of
them. I manufacture shoes and
shoe uppers. A share of union
patronage is respectfully solic
ited.'.: "... ' .; 7-, -vy
S. LMcCOY
1529 OStreet
Bear This Label..
SPT. 16305
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