MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE The following document is provided by the LAW AND LEGISLATIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library http://legislature.maine.gov/lawlib Reproduced from scanned originals with text recognition applied (searchable text may contain some errors and/or omissions) Public Documents of Maine: BEING TBE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE VARIO US PUBLIC OFFICEP~ AND INSTITUTIONS FOR THE YEAR 1880. VOLUME I. .AUGUSTA: SPRAGUE & SON, PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 18 8 0. ANNUAL REPORT CF THE LAND AGENT OF THE STATE OF MAINE, FOR TIIE YEAR ENDING NOVEMBER 30, 1879. AUGUSTA: E. F. PILLSBURY AKD CO., STATE PRINTERS, 1880. REPORT. LAND OFFICE, AUGUSTA, December 1, 1879. To the Honorable Governor and Council: In compliance with the provisions of law, I herewith present the Annual Report of the operations of the Land Department during the past year. Under the statutes an<l enactments for encouraging emigration to, and settlement upon, the public lands, the State has pursued a policy that has resulted in peopling a vast territory of unreclaimed land. Liberality and comprehensiveness have characterized the legislation of the State from early history, and the results are manifested by thriving towns and villages enjoying in larg~ measure social and material prosperity, equaling that of an older and organized commonwealth. With great uniformity successive legislatures have followed a line of policy, unrestricted by partisan and sectional views, defer­ ring to calls for encouraging by every reasonable method not inconsistent with public faith, by donation of township after town­ ship to supply the increasing wants of the pioneer, who had. resolved upon this as of all other modes for founding a home for his family, and, as a rule, few mistakes have been made. The State on her behalf having, at the out-set, opened roads,. thereby furnishing facilities for reaching the wild lands of Aroos-· took, her citizens have availed themselves of the opportunity presented, and the result is, we find, what was an unbroken wil- · derness, a happy and prosperous community. Not only the opening of roads, but by donating money and, lands for building bridges, erecting mills, encouraging education. Such rapid development has ca-lled for constant and unremitting attention and has received a response in corresponding ratio. To what extent the expanding settlements may reach is a prob-­ lem for the future, now that the State has reached the limit of territory heretofore offered for encouraging industry, perseverance: 4 LAXD AGENT'S REPORT, and thrift; yet there is encouragement for others who may prefer to adopt agricultural pursuits as a means to an end. For, as ~tatecl, labor, having in the main accomplished a mis­ sion that has been requited with unexampled prosperity, has a limit, and capital, though slow to follow, has entered the field, as has been manifested by the erection of starch factories at Presque Isle, Washburn, Ashland and other points, furnishing a ready market for the surplus potato crop, which is abundant, at an outlay cornparing most favorably ,vith the cost for procuring any other crop for domestic use. In fact, when, in previous years, the demand was limited by the extent of lumbering operations, and those contingent and depen­ dent upon market for encouragement and success, necessarily left the products of the farmer upon his hands, thereby discouraging a pursuit which requires a permanent stimuLmt to insure success. Now that the county enjoys railroad facilities, having their termini at Caribou, attention is turned more directly to agri­ cultural matters, and, as the forest recedes, accelerated industry will invite capital, offoring to it safety, permanence and profit. Still farther on we may look for encouraging signs of railway facilities, connecting at or near Mattawamkeag, with the European and North American Railway at one of those points. The route will be exclusively upon American soil, and shorten transit and time one-half at least as comp:ued with the tedious and circuitous route from our State into and out of the Province , of New Brunswick. SALES AND CONVEY AKCES-lSLANDS. All right, title and interest the State may have in Little Barnud.1, Saddle, Job's, Ensign, Horse Head Islands in Penobscot Bay; Mark Island and the small if lands, and bare rocks in the · vicinity of these islands, or in the group of islands of which these are a part in East Bay, sold to Franci::.s L. Lazell of Rockland for . $50.00, Jan. 3, 1879. SALE OF TIMBE.R. Sale of right to cut timber until the year 1884, as reserved by ·"Resolve relating to an appropriation for Common Schools" ap­ proved March 21, 18G4, and ''Act to aid in the construction of 'the European and North American Railway," approved :March 3, 1868; ancl of "An Act additional to Chapter Five of the Revised Statutes, relating to the Public Lands," approved February 19, -1878, and order of Council, dated October 29, 1879. LAND AGENT'S REPORT, Timothy McDonald, Corinth, three-fifths in common and undivided of timber on township Numbered 6, Range 18, W. E. L. S., in the County of Somerset, $GOO.OO by note payable Sep­ tember 1, 1879. Lien retained to secure payment. TREATY Lo TS. Under the late treaty of \Va-;hington~ authorizing the appoint­ ment of commissioners to locate grants, and determine the extent of possessory claims, and of resolve approved April 12, 1854, a conveyance was made, August 15, 1879, to Peter McKenzie, of all that part of lots numbered one, section fo'..lr; and four, section three, Maysville, which was not intended to be conveyed by the Land Agent in his deed to Sewell Henderson, dated March 20, 1855, and described in the i"eport of said commissioners as follows: "Excepting so mnch as was conveyed by said Henderson to Peter McKenzie, January 7, 185J." SETTLING LANDS, Under the resolve, approved February 13, 1879, entitled "Resolve to facilitate the settlement of public lands and closing the Land Office," endeavors have been made to accomplish the objects intended by the resolve, therefore, in pursurance of this, and other resolves and acts, authorizing such conveyances to be made, 37 ,899 acres have been conveyed by deed, as shown, described, and tabulated in schedules annexed. SURVEYS. In response to the obligation imposed in the State deed to the European and North American Railway Company, they have caused to be surveyed, township seventeen, range nine, in the county of Aroostook, into lots of one hundred acres each, part of which have already been contracted, others applied for and may be occupied on the ensuing year. CONCLUSION. With respectful deference to popular opinion, that all duties pertaining to the Land Department can be brought to an early termination without detriment to interests connected therewith; I would not omit this opportunity for expressing an opinion, and commending to favorable recognition, the systematic arrangement of the archives of the office by my predecessors, and valuable sug­ gestions by the then executive, who comprehended the importance to the State for availing ourselves of the original plans, field notes, copies of deeds and contracts, and other important data connected G LAND AGENT'S REPORT. with early and later surveys made by authority of Massachusetts in this State. The admirable compil~tion and arrangement in bound volumes for preservation and future reference, needs only a corresponding recognition for their protection, F.afety and exhibition when infor­ mation shall be desired, to demonstrate the wisdom and forecast of the authorities referred to. ISAAC R. CLARK. Land Agent. APPENDIX. APPENDIX. DR. STATE OF MAINE -in account wz'th EDWIN C. BURLEIGH, Land Agent,from Dec. I to Dec. JI, I878, -inclusive. To cash paid on account of postage, schedule No. 1. ............... $128 39 " " charges, schedule No. 2 ................. 1,013 57 timber, schedule No. 3 .................. 12 00 settling lands, schedule No. 4 •...•...•. 401 55 public sale of lands, schedule No. 5 ....• 329 30 lands in township K, range 2, schedule No.6 ............................... .. 160 00 2,044 81 To cash paid into the State Treasury, schedule No. 7, as follows: On account of permanent school fund ......................... .. 1,884 24 On account of reserved lands ................... , .... , ........ .. 2,433 91 On general account..................••.........•................ 313 93 4,632 08 To notes retired under orders of Council .................•.•........•.......•. 3,885 36 To cash securities, viz. : Notes............................................................. 7,728 58 School Fund...................................................... 4,445 38 12,173 96 Cash balance ...•. ·..................................... 1,122 08 $23,858 29 CR. STATE OF MAINE z'n account wi'th EDWIN C. BURLEIGH, Land Agent,from Dec. I to Dec. JI, I878, z'nclusz've. By cash securities in the Land Office, December 1, 1878: Cash balance ..................................................... $3,827 50 Notes. • . • . 8, 736 08 School Fund...................................................... 8,847 48 21,411 06 By cash and securities received from miscellaneous sources : For sales of land .....•................•.•..••........•...••.....• 1,358 00 For timber stumpage ........................................... 362 84 For stumpage of timber cut on reserved lands .................. 313 93 For interest on notes, etc•.......................•........•.•..... 412 46 2,447 23 $23,858 29 10 LAND AGENT'S REPORT. Receipts of Cash from all sources from December