Whereas, The San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserves, in the Territory
of Arizona, were established by proclamation dated August 17, 1898,
under and by virtue of section twenty-four of the act of Congress,
approved March 3, 1891, entitled, "An act to repeal timber-culture laws,
and for other purposes," which provides, "That the President of the
United States may, from time to time, set apart and reserve, in any
State or Territory having public land bearing forests, in any part of
the public lands wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth,
whether of commercial value or not, as public reservations, and the
President shall, by public proclamation, declare the establishment of
such reservations and the limits thereof;"
And whereas, it is further provided by the act of Congress, approved
June 4, 1897, entitled, "An act making appropriations for sundry civil
expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, and
for other purposes," that "The President is hereby authorized at any
time to modify any Executive order that has been or may hereafter be
made establishing any forest reserve, and by such modification may
reduce the area or change the boundary lines of such reserve, or may
vacate altogether any order creating such reserve;"
And whereas, the public lands in the Territory of Arizona, within the
limits hereinafter described, are in part covered with timber, and it
appears that the public good would be promoted by setting apart and
reserving said lands as a public reservation;
Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States,
by virtue of the power vested in me by the aforesaid acts of Congress,
do hereby make known and proclaim that, for the purpose of consolidating
into one reserve the lands heretofore embraced in the said San Francisco
Mountains Forest Reserves and of including therein the other adjacent
lands within the description hereinafter given, there is hereby reserved
and set apart as a public forest reservation all the lands embraced
within the following described boundaries and lying and being situate
in the Territory of Arizona, to wit:
Beginning at the northwest corner of township twenty-two (22) north,
range one (1) east, Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona; thence
southerly along the said meridian, allowing for the proper offset on the
fifth (5th) Standard Parallel north, to the southwest corner of township
nineteen (19) south, range one (1) east; thence easterly along the
surveyed and unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest
corner of township eighteen (18) north, range four (4) east; thence
southerly along the unsurveyed range line to its intersection with the
fourth (4th) Standard Parallel north; thence easterly along said
parallel to the point for the northwest corner of township sixteen (16)
north, range five (5) east; thence southerly to the point for the
southwest corner of said township; thence easterly to the point for the
northwest corner of township fifteen (15) north, range six (6) east;
thence southerly to the point for the southwest corner of section
eighteen (18), said township; thence easterly along the unsurveyed
section line to the point for the northwest corner of section nineteen
(19), township fifteen (15) north, range seven (7) east; thence
southerly to the southwest corner of said section; thence easterly along
the unsurveyed section lines to the southwest corner of section nineteen
(19), township fifteen (15) north, range nine (9) east; thence northerly
to the northwest corner of said section; thence easterly along the
section line to the southeast corner of section thirteen (13), said
township; thence northerly to the northeast corner of section twelve
(12), said township; thence easterly along the section lines to the
southeast corner of section one (1), township fifteen (15) north,
range eleven (11) east; thence northerly along the range line to its
intersection with the fourth (4th) Standard Parallel north; thence
westerly along said parallel to the southeast corner of township
seventeen (17) north, range eleven (11) east; thence northerly along the
surveyed and unsurveyed range line to the point for the northeast corner
of township eighteen (18) north, range eleven (11) east; thence westerly
to the southeast corner of township nineteen (19) north, range ten (10)
east; thence northerly along the range line to its intersection with the
fifth (5th) Standard Parallel north; thence westerly along said parallel
to the point for the southeast corner of township twenty-one (21) north,
range nine (9) east; thence northerly along the unsurveyed range line,
allowing for the proper offset on the sixth (6th) Standard Parallel
north, to the point for the northeast corner of township twenty-five
(25) north, range nine (9) east; thence westerly along the surveyed
and unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of
township twenty-five (25) north, range three (3) east; thence southerly
along the surveyed and unsurveyed range line, allowing for the proper
offset on the sixth (6th) Standard Parallel north, to the northeast
corner of township twenty-two (22) north, range two (2) east; thence
westerly along the township line to the northwest corner of township
twenty-two (22) north, range one (1) east, to the place of beginning.
Excepting from the force and effect of this proclamation all lands which
may have been, prior to the date hereof, embraced in any legal entry or
covered by any lawful filing duly of record in the proper United States
Land Office, or upon which any valid settlement has been made pursuant
to law, and the statutory period within which to make entry or filing of
record has not expired: Provided, that this exception shall not continue
to apply to any particular tract of land unless the entryman, settler,
or claimant continues to comply with the law under which the entry,
filing, or settlement was made.
_Provided further_, That nothing herein shall give any force or
effect to any claim or right to any of the lands heretofore embraced
within the said San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserves which would not
have been entitled to recognition if said reserves as heretofore
established had been continued in force without this consolidation.
The reserve hereby created shall be known as the San Francisco Mountains
Forest Reserve.
Warning is hereby expressly given to all persons not to make settlement
upon the lands reserved by this proclamation.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of
the United States to be affixed.
[SEAL.]
Done at the city of Washington this twelfth day of April, A.D. 1902,
and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and
twenty-sixth.