FORESTRY COMMISSIONER. 27 



that locality, as regards scenery, recreation and health is 

 one of the most important in Minnesota. As the soil on 

 these islands of almost solid rock is very thin, and in some 

 places there is no soil at all, it would be centuries, if ever, 

 before these islands could recover their present beauty, if 

 the timber were allowed to be cut. 



I am very sorry to say, therefore, that a few of these is 

 lands, and for a trivial consideration either under the 

 stone or timber law or by laying script have been allowed 

 to pass into the hands of private parties, who expect to cut 

 the timber that is standing upon them. These trees do 

 not average more than about a foot in diameter. That 

 whole region of country should belong to the State and be 

 held as a pleasure resort for the people. The greater 

 part of the land bordering on Lac La Croix is truly 

 classified by the government surveyors as ' 'third or fourth 

 rate, rocky and mountainous." As it does not contain 

 much valuable timber it has not been wanted either by 

 lumbermen or actual settlers, and still belongs to the 

 United States. 



The Ontario side of this country has never been open 

 to settlement nor has the timber thereon been offered for 

 sale and the islands and shores are more handsomely wood- 

 ed than on the Minnesota side. At my suggestion the gov- 

 ernment of Ontario has undertaken to consider the advis- 

 ability of setting apart its islands in Crooked Lake and Lac 

 La Croix, and its shores -on those lakes for forest reserve 

 and park purposes, in case the lands on the Minnesota 

 side shall be set apart for similar purposes. 



At the request of the Minnesota State Forestry Board 

 Honorable A. J. Volstead, who is a member of the com- 

 mittee on public lands, introduced a bill in Congress grant- 

 ing to the state of Minnesota for forestry purposes such of 

 the vacant public lands in the fifteen townships (most of 



