and shortly after our first acquaintance, wanted to go in with me on some sort of timber land deal. He represented that he knew a number of lumbermen residing in the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, who would be willing to invest in a tract of good timber on the Pacific Coast. At that time, nearly all the best surveyed timber lands had been bought up, so we concluded that the most feasible plan would be for us to find something in the line of unsurveyed lands that would meet the requirements, get it surveyed, locate a lot of men on it, furnish them the money with which to make final proof, and obtain title in that way, under the Timber and Stone Act of June 3, 1878.
The tract we selected was in Township 3 North, Range 7 and 8 West, on the Nehalem River, in Tillamook County, Oregon, one of the finest bodies of yellow fir timber in the whole State. After cruising the tract to ascertain how many quarter sections could be obtained in one body, we came to Portland.
Jones then went East to consummate a deal, and soon returned with a man by the name of Lumbarger. We took him over the tract lo see how he liked it and he was delighted with the timber and entered into a contract with Jones and myself, he agreeing to advance the sum of $750 a claim, or quarter section of 160 acres, so as to enable us to procure titles to the claims, promising to take as many of them as we could get. We, in turn, agreed to deed to Mr. Lumbarger as fast as proofs were made, an undivided one-half interest to each claim so purchased.
The next move was to find people to locate on the land, and in short order we found all we wanted in Portland and Albina, a suburb of the latter city.
We then proceeded to enter into a contract with each person, whereby we agreed to locate them on the land, we to pay all expenses in the way of railroad fares in going to and from the land, besides the land office fees, and to advance the money to pay the Government at the time of final proof. In return, the entrymen agreed to deed the land to Jones and myself, as soon as final proof was made, for the sum of $750 a claim, all costs and expenses in procuring the titles to be deducted therefrom, and the balance to be paid to each one upon receipt of his deed.
The understanding was that each person was to file on two claims; one under the Timber and Stone Act of June 3, 1878, and the other under the Homestead law, the latter to be commuted to a cash entry after 6 months' residence. The cost of each claim was about as follows:
COST OF HOMESTEAD ENTRIES:
$10.00
25.00
200.00
$235.00
This amount, deducted from $750, left a balance of $515, which was to be paid to the entryman upon receipt of a deed to his homestead.
COST OF CLAIM UNDER TIMBER AND STONE ACT.
$30.00
400.00
$430.00
This left a balance of $320 to be paid to the entryman upon receipt of a deed to his claim under the Timber and Stone Act.
After having a fair understanding with all of the men, contracts were drawn up and each one signed them, Jones and myself retaining the documents. In all, forty persons were contracted with in this way, each to take two claims as indicated, making eighty claims in all, or a total of 12,800 acres.
The next move was to locate the people on the land. Two trips were necessary in doing this, twenty persons being taken at a time. The land hadPage 23
