38 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



2,000 years ago. It is clear that it was once inhabited 

 by the Mound Builders. Is it not worth while, then, that 

 a portion of such territory be preserved in its natural con- 

 dition, and as it has come down from centuries of aborig- 

 inal occupancy? 



A vast majority of the people, if they could be heard, 

 would answer yes. But they cannot well be reached. 

 Meantime greed to cut the pine is active and influential, 

 and the only possible way for getting the park is for all 

 philanthropic persons, young and old, to take a hand in 

 the matter and write to and petition their senators and 

 representatives in congress to work for it. 



PROBABLE COST OF THE PROPOSED NATIONAL PARK. 



As before stated, the proposed park comprises 218,470 

 acres of water surface and 61 1,692 acres of land. Of the 

 latter 121,802 acres, in scattered localities, have been al- 

 lotted to Indians, leaving 489, 790 acres to be paid for. 

 Of this latter 100,000 acres in round numbers may be re- 

 garded as merchantable ' ' pine lands. ' ' By ' 'pine lands' ' is 

 meant, according to the Interior Department's construc- 

 tion of Indian treaties and public land laws, lands that 

 are valuable for the merchantable standing pine thereon; 

 the balance, 389,790 acres, whether bearing jack or scrub 

 pine or other sorts of timber or no timber, are considered, 

 under the existing treaty with the Indians, as "agricul- 

 tural lands, ' ' and when proclaimed as open to settlement 

 were to be taken (a bill has lately passed the United 

 States house of representatives for donating such lands 

 to settlers) in i6o-acre tracts at I1.25 per acre by actual 

 settlers under homestead law conditions as to residence 

 and cultivation. Although the greater part of these lands 

 technically designated "agricultural lands" are not de- 

 sirable for farming and would not be taken up for cultiva- 

 tion for many years, if ever, yet in any new negotiations 

 with the Chippewa Indians to obtain the land in bulk the 

 government naturally would have to pay for it at the rate 



