Proclamation 568—Modifying the Boundaries of the Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve, Colorado

Whereas, the Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve, in the State of Colorado, was established by proclamation dated December twenty-fourth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, under and by virtue of Section twenty-four of the Act of Congress, approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, 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 fourth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, entitled, "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, 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", under which provision the boundary lines of the said forest reserve were changed and the area thereof reduced by proclamation dated May sixteenth, nineteen hundred and four;

And Whereas, it appears that the public good would be promoted by further releasing and excluding lands from the said forest reserve, and by including therein additional lands which are in part covered with timber;

Now, Therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in me by the aforesaid act of Congress, approved June fourth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, do hereby make known and proclaim that the boundary lines of the aforesaid Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve are hereby further modified so as to read as follows:

Beginning at the north-west corner of Section three (3), Township nine (9) South, Range ninety-seven (97) West, Sixth (6th) Principal Meridian, Colorado; 'thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), Township eight (8) South, Range ninety-six (96) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section fifteen (15), Township eight (8) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section three (3), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Township seven (7) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section nineteen (19), Township seven (7) South, Range ninety-four (94) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-one (21), Township seven (7) South, Range ninety-three (93) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-three (33), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section three (3), Township eight (8) South, Range ninety-three (93) West; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirteen (13), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section eighteen (18), Township eight (8) South, Range ninety-two (92) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Township eight (8) South, Range ninety-one (91) West; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-two (32), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section four (4), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Township eight (8) South, Range ninety (90) West; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Township nine (9) South, Range eighty-nine (89) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said township; thence southerly, allowing for the proper offset on the Second (2nd) Correction Line South, to the south-east corner of Township twelve (12) South, Range eighty-nine (89) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Township twelve (12) South, Range ninety-three (93) West; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), Township twelve (12) South, Range ninety-four (94) West; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-three (23), Township twelve (12) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of Section ten (10), Township thirteen (13) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of the north-west quarter of said section; thence southerly to the north-east corner of Section sixteen (16), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-one (31), said township; thence westerly to thesouth-west corner of Section thirty-three (33), Township thirteen (13) South, Range ninety-seven (97) West; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-two (32), Township twelve (12) South, Range ninety-seven (97) West; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section five (5), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Township eleven (11) South, Range ninety-six (96) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eighteen (18), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section three (3), said township; thence easterly along the Second (2nd) Correction Line South to the south-east corner of Township ten (10) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence northerly to thenorth-west corner of Section thirty-one (31), Township ten (10) South, Range ninety-four (94) West; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section thirteen (13), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eighteen (18), Township ten (10) South, Range ninety-three (93) West; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section two (2), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Township nine (9) South, Range ninety-three (93) West; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Township nine (9) South, Range ninety-five (95) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirteen (13), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of Section nineteen (19), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), Township nine (9) South, Range ninety-six (96) West; thence westerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty (30), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Township nine (9) South, Range ninety-seven (97) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section three (3), said township, the place of beginning; such of the above-named corners as have not been established by the official surveys being intended to be located at the points where such corners would fall in projecting the surveys in the directions indicated without allowing for any irregularities which may occur in actually extending the surveys;

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.

The lands hereby excluded from the reserve and restored to the public domain shall be open to settlement from the date hereof, but shall not be subject to entry, filing or selection until after ninety days' notice by such publication as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe.

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.

Done at the city of Washington this 5th day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and five, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-ninth.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

By the President

FRANCIS B. LOOMIS,

Acting Secretary of State .