Whereas, it is provided by section twenty-four of the act of Congress,
approved March 3rd, 1891, entitled, "An act to repeal timber-culture
laws, and for other purposes," "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, the public lands in the State of Nebraska, 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 in me vested by section twenty-four of the
aforesaid act of Congress, do hereby make known and proclaim that there
is hereby reserved from entry or settlement and set apart as a Public
Reservation all those certain tracts, pieces or parcels of land lying
and being situate in the State of Nebraska and within the boundaries
particularly described as follows, to wit:
Beginning at the northeast corner of section twenty-seven (27),
township twenty-two (22) north, range twenty-five (25) west, Sixth (6th)
Principal Meridian, Nebraska; thence westerly to the southeast corner of
section twenty (20), said township; thence northerly to the northeast
corner of said section; thence westerly to the southeast corner of
section thirteen (13), township twenty-two (22) north, range twenty-six
(26) west; thence northerly to the northeast corner of the southeast
quarter of section twelve (12), said township; thence westerly along the
quarter-section line to the northeast corner of the southeast quarter
of section ten (10), said township; thence northerly to the northeast
corner of said section; thence westerly to the southeast corner of
section six (6), said township; thence northerly to the northeast corner
of said section; thence westerly to the southeast corner of section
thirty-five (35), township twenty-three (23) north, range twenty-seven
(27) west; thence northerly to the northeast corner of said section;
thence westerly to the southeast corner of section twenty-eight (28),
said township; thence northerly to the northeast corner of said section;
thence westerly to the southeast corner of section twenty (20), said
township; thence northerly to the northeast corner of said section;
thence westerly along the section lines to the northwest corner of
section twenty-three (23), township twenty-three (23) north, range
twenty-eight (28) west; thence southerly along the section lines to the
southwest corner of section two (2), township twenty-two (22) north,
range twenty-eight (28) west; thence easterly to the southeast corner
of section one (1), said township; thence southerly along the range
line to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest
quarter of section nineteen (19), township twenty-one (21) north,
range twenty-seven (27) west; thence easterly along the quarter
quarter-section lines to the southeast corner of the northeast quarter
of the northeast quarter of section twenty-three (23), township
twenty-one (21) north, range twenty-six (26) west; thence northerly
to the southwest corner of section twelve (12), said township; thence
easterly to the southeast corner of said section; thence northerly to
the northeast corner of said section; thence easterly to the southeast
corner of section five (5), township twenty-one (21) north, range
twenty-five (25) west; thence northerly to the northeast corner
of the southeast quarter of said section; thence easterly along the
quarter-section lines to the southeast corner of the northeast quarter
of section three (3), said township; thence northerly along the section
lines to the northeast corner of section twenty-seven (27), township
twenty-two (22) north, range twenty-five (25) west, 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.
Warning is hereby expressly given to all persons not to make settlement
upon the lands reserved by this proclamation.
The reservation hereby established shall be known as The Dismal River
Forest Reserve.
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 sixteenth day of April, A.D. 1902,
and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and
twenty-sixth.