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 north-east corner of section ten (10), township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty (30) west, Sixth (6th) Principal Meridian, Nebraska; thence westerly to the south-east corner of section six (6), said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence westerly along the quarter-section lines to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of section five (5), township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty-one (31) west; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said section; thence westerly along the township line to the north-west corner of section six (6), township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty-three (33) west; thence southerly to the south-west corner of the north-west quarter of said section; thence westerly along the quarter-section line to the north-west corner of the south-west quarter of section two (2) township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty-four (34) west; thence southerly along the section lines to the south-west corner of section twenty-three (23), said township; thence easterly to the north-west corner of section thirty (30), township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty-three (33) west; thence southerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-west corner of section thirty-three (33). said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-west corner of section two (2), township thirty-one (31) north, range thirty-three (33) West; thence southerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-west corner of section ten (10), township thirty-one (31) north, range thirty-two (32) west; thence southerly to the south-west corner of the north-west quarter of section three (3), township thirty (30) north, .range thirty-two (32) west; thence easterly along the quarter-section lines to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of section two (2), township thirty (30) north, range thirty-one (31) west; thence northerly to the north-east corner of section thirty-five (35), township thirty-one (31) north, range thirty-one (31) west; thence easterly to the south-east corner of section twenty-five (25), said township; thence northerly to the south-west corner of section nineteen (19), township thirty-one (31) north, range thirty (30) west; thence easterly to the south-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence easterly along the quarter-section line to the south-east corner of the north-west quarter of section twenty (20), said township; thence northerly along the quarter-section lines to the north-east corner of the south-west quarter of section thirty-two (32), township thirty-two (32) north, range thirty (30) west; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly to the south-west corner of the north-west quarter of section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence easterly along the quarter-section lines to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence northerly to the south-west corner of section fifteen (15), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-east corner of section ten (10), said township, 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 Niobrara Forest Reserve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

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.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

By the President:

JOHN HAY,

Secretary of State