By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Whereas, it is provided by 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," "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 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 in me vested by section twenty-four of the aforesaid Act of Congress, do hereby make known and proclaim that there are 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 Territory of Arizona, and within the boundaries particularly described as follows:
Beginning at the north-west corner of Township twelve (12) North, Range seven (7) East, Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section seventeen (17), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty (20), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section nineteen (19), Township eleven and one-half (11 1/2) North, Range seven (7) East; thence westerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty (30), said township; thence southerly to thesouth-west corner of Section nineteen (19), Township eleven (11) North, Range seven (7) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence southerly to thesouth-west corner of Section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-six (36), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Township eleven (11) North, Range eight (8) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section five (5), Township ten (10) North, Range eight (8) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section four (4), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of Township nine (9) North, Range eight (8) East; thence southerly, allowing for the proper offset on the Second (2nd) Standard Parallel North, to the south-west corner of Township eight (8) North, Range eight (8) East; thence easterly to thenorth-east corner of Section four (4), Township seven (7) North, Range eight (8) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section three (3), Township six (6) North, Range eight (8) East; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-west corner of Section twelve (12), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the south-east corner of said section; thence southerly to thesouth-west corner of Section eighteen (18), Township six (6) North, Range nine (9) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty (20), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section four (4), Township five (5) North, Range nine (9) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-three (23), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-six (26), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-five (25), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-six (36), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Township five (5) North, Range ten (10) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section six (6), Township four (4) North, Range ten (10) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty (20), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence southerly to thesouth-west corner of Section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-three (33), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section three (3), Township three (3) North, Range ten (10) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section two (2), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section eleven (11), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twelve (12), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section nine (9), Township three (3) North, Range eleven (11) East; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section three (3), said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-seven (27), Township four (4) North, Range eleven (11) East; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Section sixteen (16), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Section seven (7), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), said township; thence northerly, allowing for the proper offset on the First (1st) Standard Parallel North, to thenorth-west corner of Township six (6) North, Range eleven (11) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), Township six (6) North, Range twelve (12) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Township six (6) North, Range thirteen (13) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section six (6), Township five (5) North, Range thirteen (13) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section five (5), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-one (21), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-seven (27), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner Section thirty-six (36), said township; thence southerly to thesouth-west corner of Township five (5) North, Range fourteen (14) East; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section five (5), Township four (4) North, Range fourteen (14) East; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section four (4), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence easterly along the section lines to the point of intersection with the western boundary of the White Mountain or San Carlos Indian Reservation, or the prolongation thereof; thence in a general northerly direction along the boundary of said reservation to its intersection with the southern boundary of the Black Mesa Forest Reserve; thence in a general north-westerly direction along the boundary of said forest reserve and the Third (3rd) Standard Parallel North to the north-west corner of Township twelve (12) North, Range seven (7) East, 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.
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 Tonto 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 3d day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and five, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and thirtieth.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
By the President:
ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of State .
Theodore Roosevelt, Proclamation 598—Establishment of the Tonto Forest Reserve, Arizona Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/206526