Government Lands in Nebraska ~ 1903
Nebraska has an area of 49,137,280 acres; 39,549,812 acres are
classed as appropriated, 606,611 acres are reserved, and
8,989,857 acres are un-appropriated, or subject to homestead
entry, called government lands. These un-appropriated lands are
located in eight government land districts, designated as
follows:
Alliance District
Box Butte County, 48,632
Acres
Cheyenne County, 280,571
Acres
Dawes County, 157,070 Acres
Deuel County, 517,256 Acres
Scotts Bluffs County, 122,565
Acres
Sheridan County 550,031 Acres
Sioux County 874,052 Acres
Total 2,550.177 acres
Broken Bow District
Blaine County, 231,578 Acres
Brown County, 143,745 Acres
Cherry County, 528,247 Acres
Custer County 30,293 Acres
Grant County, 183,398 Acres
Hooker County, 325,349 Acres
Logan County, 142,400 Acres
McPherson County, 278,276
Acres
Thomas County, 252,746 Acres
Total 2,116.032 acres
McCook District
Chase County, 47.467 Acres
Dundy County, 117,548 Acres
Frontier County, 640 Acres
Harlan County, 40 Acres
Hayes County, 17,897 Acres
Hitchcock County, 2,500 Acres
Red Willow County, 400 Acres
Total 186,992 acres
Lincoln District
This district has but a small
acreage of
government lands left, there
being only
4.625 acres; 3,700 of this is
in Greeley
County, 725 in Valley, 120 in
Custer,
40 in Sherman, and 40 in
Buffalo. |
North Platte District
Custer County, 800 Acres
Dawson County, Acres
Keith County, 117,263 Acres
Lincoln County, 179,768 Acres
Logan County, 33,035 Acres
McPherson County, 271.123 Acres
Perkins County, 15,268 Acres
Total 617,377 acres
O'Neill District
Boone County, 4,898 Acres
Boyd County, 20,041 Acres
Brown County, 5,900 Acres
Garfield County 149,920 Acres
Holt County, 101,780 Acres
Keyapaha County, 600 Acres
Knox County, 400 Acres
Loup County, 198,740 Acres
Rock County, 52,120 Acres
Wheeler County, 87,520 Acres
Total 621,919 acres
Sidney District
Banner County, 46.368 Acres
Cheyenne County, 206,496
Acres
Deuel County, 140,625 Acres
Keith County, 11,517 Acres
Kimball County, 109,931 Acres
Scotts Bluffs County, 14,929
Acres
Total 629.866 acres
Valentine District
Brown County, 279,737 Acres
Cherry County, 1,871,458
Acres
Keyapaha County, 36,322 Acres
Rock County, 166,722 Acres
Total 2,354,389 acres |
These estimates are the government reports for the year ending
June 30, 1903, and are lessened by the homestead entries filed
subsequent to this date.
How to Procure These Lands
These lands can be procured only under the homestead law, which
requires actual settlement for a period of five years in order
to get a free title or patent to the land.
Persons Entitled to Make Homestead Entries
A single man over twenty-one years old; a single woman over
twenty-one years old; a married man over twenty-one years old; a
married man, the head of a family, if not twenty-one years old.
A married woman has no legal right to make a homestead entry.
A homestead entry may be made for 160 acres or less. The expense
of filing a homestead entry is as follows: For 160 acres, $14;
120 acres, $13; 80 acres, $7; 40 acres, $6. It costs to prove up
on a homestead, at expiration of the five years: Land office
fees, $4 for 160 acres; $3 for 120 acres; $2 for 80 acres; and
$1 for 40 acres.
Any person making a homestead entry must, within six months from
the filing of the entry, move onto the land and establish a home
and remain thereon at least fourteen months, when commutation
may be made by proving actual residence and paying to the
Receiver of the local Land Office $1.25 per acre for the land
filed on. Otherwise a continuous residence of five years is
required in order to obtain title.
The greater portion of the government lands remaining unoccupied
in Nebraska are best suited to grazing and stock ranching
purposes. They are generally improving in quality each year and
becoming more resourceful as grazing and hay lands.
Opportunities for the man of small capital to start in the
raising of livestock on the un-appropriated millions of acres of
good grazing lands cannot be excelled in any portion of the
globe.
As evidence of the value and utility of these lands we quote a
letter under date of October 30, 1903, from the Register of the
Land Office at Valentine, Neb.:
"Dear Sir:
This land district embraces
most of Brown, Cherry Keya Paha and Rock counties. In
Brown County there are approximately 265,000 acres
un-appropriated and subject to entry; in Cherry County,
1,750,000 acres; in Keya Paha, 24,000 acres; and in
Rock, 155,000 acres.
"During the year ending June
30, 1903, homestead entries were made in this office
covering 117,723 acres, and final proof made to 55,105
acres." At present vacant lands can only be entered
under the homestead law or by location with scrip,
except in case of isolated tracts of less than 160
acres, which may be purchased at public sale under
prescribed regulations. I shall not attempt any
description of the country or opportunities offered
settlers, as you are quite familiar with existing
conditions, which were never better, all interests doing
well.
J. C. Pettijohn, Register." |
Nebraska AHGP
A Condensed History of Nebraska for fifty years to date,
Compiled by Geo. W. Hervey, Editor, and Published by Nebraska
Farmer Co., Omaha, Nebraska, 1903.
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