HOW UNCLE SAM IS DISPOSING OF THE PUBLIC LANDS
How Uncle Sam Is Disposing of the Public Lands HOW much la left of the public lands? How many acres are there still available to be entered upon and turned into farms? An interesting sidelight is...
...and entries have been made on 19,426,603 acres by purchasers...
...33,453,056 acres have been determined to be suitable for dry farming and designated or listed for settlement as enlarged homesteads in 320-acre tracts...
...As It has been charged that all the coal lands and other mineral lands of the West have been withdrawn from sale and are being held withdrawn to the detriment of the mineral industry of the region, it may be of interest to know that during the same period an area nearly or quite equal to that entered has been examined in detail by 40-acre tracts and classified...
...Roughly, one twenty-fifth of the area of the state has been examined in detail with reference to its mineral and water-power value, classified by 40-acre tracts, and restored to entry...
...On March 4, 1913, the Government held title to nearly 500 million acres of land, of which nearly 200 million acres had been more or less permanently withdrawn from purchase as national forests, parks, monuments, etc., and about 70 million acres had been temporarily withdrawn for classification—that is, for determination whether they should be sold under the coal-land law or other mineral laws...
...Another kind of classification, which has not involved preliminary withdrawals, has been that of certain dry lands which can not be irrigated but which offer to the settler an opportunity for making a living by 'dry farming.' These lands, when so classified or 'designated,' may be entered in tracts of 320 acres as enlarged homesteads...
...During the period under discussion new withdrawals have been made covering 42,276 acres, or nearly two townships, mainly to cover the possible extension of a previously known coal field...
...Nearly 4 million acres have been classified as enlarged-homestead lands, and 1 3/4 million acres have been entered by settlers...
...In order to show by states what has been accomplished in the treatment of the public lands between March 4, 1913, and June 30, 1914, (one and one-third years) maps of twelve states containing public lands are included in Secretary Lane's report...
...One-sixteenth of the area-- of...
...An interesting sidelight is thrown upon this question by Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane, in his annual report...
...under the timber and stone act, under the desert-land act, or as plain home-steads — LEAVING 230 MILLION ACRES OPEN TO PURCHASE...
...and as detailed surveys have shown just what 40-acre tracts of these newly withdrawn lands contain workable deposits of coal, phosphate, or oil and gas, the land has been classified as coal land, phosphate land, or oil and gas land and has been restored for sale, except that containing phosphate, oil and gas, or certain salts...
...As an illustration, the map of Colorado (see illustration) may bo explained more in detail...
...These maps show for each state the areas withdrawn pending the exact determination of their character, the areas examined in detail and restored to entry, the areas which cannot be irrigated and are designated as enlarged-homestead lands, and the areas actually entered by purchasers...
...An area of 15,392,482 acres, equal to that of West Virginia, or to that of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey combined, has been restored and THROWN OPEN TO SETTLEMENT OR PURCHASE...
...Altogether, since March 4, 1913, in twelve public-land states detailed surveys, by 40-acre tracts, have led to the classification and restoration of 15^ 392,482 acres...
...Lands found to be valuable as waterpower sites have been made available for the DEVELOPMENT OF POWER but not for other purposes...
...In the twelve states during the same period only 892,783 acres have been withdrawn...
...As reconnoissance exploration has revealed the possible existence of deposits of coal, phosphate, or oil and gas, or of water-power sites not previously known, new areas have been temporarily withdrawn until they could be studied in detail...
...The area of the state is over 66 million acres...
...Discussing the progress in the classification and utilization of the public lands, Secretary Lane says: "Those who have thought that all of the public domain of any value had been taken up years ago may be interested to know that in the sixteen months between March 4, 1913, when the present Administration came in, and June 30, 1914, the end of the last fiscal year, intending settlers made entry on 19,426,603 acres of public lands —an aggregate area equal to that of the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey...
...This does not include lands that have been found to contain workable deposits of phosphate or possible oil and gas pools, as such lands are still held pending suitable legislation for their disposal or use...
...Detailed studies have allowed the classification and restoration of nearly 3 million acres...
...the state has been classified as nonir» rjgable, for entry under the enlarged-homestead law, and entries have been made by settlers that involve one thirty-sixth of the area of the state...
...that is, its character with respect to mineral content has been determined...
Vol. 6 • November 1914 • No. 45
