OWNERSHIP OF LANDS IN THE ARID REGION 



BY J. W. POWELL, DIRECTOR OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



[This is the second article in the series written as the outgrowth of the discussion aroused by Major Pow- 

 ell's celebrated speech at Los Angeles last October. In due time those who disagree with the statements put 

 forth in these articles will have full opportunity to reply. It is just as important to have presented one side 

 of the debate as the other, but it is desirable to have one side clearly understood before the other is presented 

 in the form of an answer. For this reason Major Powell's arguments will be carried to a conclusion before 

 the replies are published. THE IRRIGATION AGE acknowledges the receipt of many letters and several 

 articles of length which take exceptions to statements contained in the February paper, " The Water Supplies 

 of the Arid Regions.' 1 It is also aware that the letter of explanation from the author, appearing in March, is 

 rejected by many as unsatisfactory. Fair play will be awarded to everybody. THE AGE reserves its own 

 conclusions until all the evidence is in. What settlers and investors want to know is the truth about the 

 water supply and the arid lands owned privately and publicly. THE AGE believes they will learn the truth, 

 fully and exactly, when the discussion in its pages is concluded. THE EDITOR.] 



THE United States, exclusive of Alaska, has a land 

 area of nearly three million square miles. A 

 part of this land never belonged to the General Gov- 

 ernment. The original States, the colonies and the 

 mother countries disposed of their lands to individ- 

 uals, and the same was true in Texas. But on the 

 organization of the Federal Government large tracts 

 of unoccupied land fell into its possession. From 

 time to time other lands were acquired by treaty, un- 

 til a vast estate was included in the public domain, 

 stretching from the boundaries of the original States 

 to the Pacific sea. Gradually these vast possessions 

 have been disposed of, at nominal prices or by gift, 

 until the acreage remaining in the hands of the Gov- 

 ernment has been reduced to 632,000,000 acres, which 

 is very nearly one-third of the total land area of the 

 United States, Alaska being neglected. 



The first diagram exhibits the proportions be- 

 tween the area of the United States (exclusive of 

 Alaska), the area of the nineteen older States, the" 

 area of Texas, the area of homestead and miscella- 

 neous entries east and west, the area of land grants 

 and railroad selections west, the area of Indian reser- 

 vations, the area of forest reservations, the area of 

 vacant lands east, and the area of vacant lands west. 



The second diagram exhibits the proportions be- 

 tween the vacant public land, land in private owner- 

 ship and farm area for 1890, in those States where 

 there are arid and sub-humid lands and where ir- 

 rigation is practiced. The cross-lined portions of the 

 central section of the diagram, pertaining to land in 

 private ownership, exhibit the areas granted or se- 

 lected by railways. 



LOCATION OF VACANT LANDS. 



Of the vacant lands, 19,000,000 acres are situate in 

 the eastern half of the United States, chiefly in Min- 

 nesota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, 

 where the climate is humid and agriculture possible 

 without irrigation. Again, there are 43,000,000 acres 



of land mainly covered with heavy timber, in Califor- 

 nia, Oregon and Washington, and to a small extent 

 in other arid States where the climate is humid, and, 

 in some places, excessively humid. This leaves in 

 the hands of the Government 570,000,000 acres of pub- 

 lic lands in the arid and sub-humid regions, where 

 agriculture is mainly dependent upon irrigation. 



Considering the distribution by States of the vacant 

 public lands that are arid and sub-humid, the follow- 

 ing table is given, the figures being in round numbers : 



states. 

 Arizona, 

 California, 

 Colorado, 

 Dakotas (both), 

 Idaho, 

 Kansas, 

 Montana, 

 Nebraska, 

 Nevada, 

 New Mexico, 

 Oklahoma, 

 Oregon, 

 Utah, . 

 Washington, 

 Wyoming, 



Acre?. 



55,400,000 

 41,000,000 

 44,000,000 

 27,000,000 

 47,000,600 

 700,000 

 74,600,000 

 10,000,000 

 67,200,000 

 54,900,000 

 10,000,000 

 30,000,000 

 42,600,000 

 11,700,000 

 53,300,000 



570,000,000 



In addition to the public lands proper, that is, the 

 lands owned by the United States, many of the 

 States themselves own lands, which are not here con- 

 sidered. 



Of the 570,000,000 acres of public lands in the arid 

 and sub-humid regions, certain portions are already 

 dedicated, permanently or temporarily, to specific 

 purposes. Large grants of land have been made to 

 the railroads. The titles to a part of these lands 

 have already passed out of the hands of the general 

 government, but there are other large areas where 



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