Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/520

 490 I·`IFTY·FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. UH. 62. 1897. ’ ·7¤¤¤¤¤‘Y i$· UW- CHAP. 62.——-Au Act To provide for the entry of lands in Greer County, Oklahoma., ";"_'*' to give preference rights to settlers, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represmtatives of the United $·;i¤;6€°¤;;W- 0*1**- States of America in Congress assembled, That every person qualified owhpigés hallowed under the homestead laws of the United States, who, on March six- {{_f:$'g;t°ji6£°’ h°m°· teenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, was a bona fide occupant ` of land within the territory established as Greer County, Oklahoma, shall be entitled to continue his occupation of such land with improvements thereon, not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, and shall be allowed six months preference right; from the passage of this Act within which to initiate his claim thereto, and shall be entitled to perfect title thereto under the provisions of the homestead law, upon pay- ment of land office fees only, at the expiration of five years from the date of entry, except that such person shall receive credit for all time during which he or those under whom he claims shall have continuously occupied the same prior to March sixteenth, eighteen hundred and uP¤;1¢}¤¤~3*¤ ¤f Midi- ninety-six. Every such person shall also have the right, for six mouths °“ °” ’ prior to all other persons, to purchase at one dollar an acre, in live equal. annual payments, any additional land of which he was in actual possession on Maréh sixteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, which, prior to said date, shall b¤=¤<;W¢g_g_;,*ga:j¤· have been cultivated, purchased, or improved by him. When any per- ° °° ° y` son entitled to a homestead or additional land, as above provided, is the head of a. family, and though still living, shall not take such homestead or additional land, within six months from the passage of this Act, any member of such family over the age of twenty-one years, other than husband or wife, shall succeed to the right to take such homestead or additional land for three months longer, aud any such member of the family shall also have the right; to take, as before provided, any excess of additional land actually cultivated or improved prior to March sixteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six above the amount to which such head of the family is entitled, not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres to any one person thu taking as a member of such family. I _°§é¤¢1j¤¤;6;*:b¤¤¤¤ 0* In case of the death of any settler who actually established residence R.§l,:w¤.z2b1,z292, and made improvement ou land in said Greer County prior to March P·**°· sixteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, the entry shall be treated as having accrued at the time the residence was established, and see tions twenty-two hundred and ninetay-one aud twenty-two hundred and ninety-two of the Revised Statutes shall be applicable thereto. Removal of crops Any person entitled to such homestead or additional land shall have ‘“‘""‘P'"°'”°""‘ the right prior to Jammry first, eighteen hundred mul ninety-seven, from the passage of this Act to remove all crops and improvements he may have on land not taken by him. F¤¤c·.·¤x»i¤<\ l¤¤·i¤ Sec. 2. That all land in said county not occupied, cultivated, or ‘{}’y"T’ °° h°"°°”°°°d °°` improved, as provided in the first section hereof, or not included within the limits of any town site or reserve, shall be suoiect to entry to actual settlers only, under the provisions of the homestead law. '£··g¤$_:* ggpggég Sec. 3. That the inhabitants of amy town located in said county shall ,_m_"" ‘ be entitled to enter the same as a. town site under the provisions of sections twenty-three hundred and eightyseven, twenty-three hundred and eighty-eight, and twenty-tl1ree hundred and eighty-nine of the ca to M_ Revised Statutes of the United States: Provided, That all persons who q,,, have made or own improvements on any town lots in said county made prior to March sixteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, shall have the preference right to enter said lots under the provisions of this Act _ and of the general town-site laws. ,u}§{}:*:;;"°'*° ‘°' Sec. 4. Sections numbered sixteen and thirty-six are reserved for school purposes as provided in laws relating to Oklahoma, and sections thirteen and thirty-three in each township are reserved for such purpose as the legislature of the fumnre State of Oklahoma may prescribe. That whenever any of the lands reserved for school or other purposes