A communication from the Secretary of War, relating to abandoned military reservations, and renewing his former recommendation for legisla tion which will provide for the disposal of such reservations no longer needed. DECEMBER 19, 1882.-Read and referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed. To the Senate and House of Representatives: I transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, a communication from the Secretary of War upon the subject of abandoned military reservations, and renewing his former recommendation for such legislation as will provide for the disposal of military sites that are no longer needed for military purposes. EXECUTIVE MANSION, CHESTER A. ARTHUR. December 19, 1882. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, December 18, 1882. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith, with request for their transmission to Congress, a letter from the Adjutant-General of the Army, of the 15th instant, and its accompanying papers, upon the subject of abandoned military reservations. The letter referred to, in conjunction with department letter of January 17, 1882, and its accompanying papers, published as House Ex. Doc. No. 39, Forty-seventh Congress, first session, copy herewith, gives a statement of the military reservations no longer needed for military purposes, and shows also their present status. In view of the importance of this subject and of the benefits that will unquestionably accrue to the government from such legislation, I again recommend that Congress grant authority to dispose of the reservations reported as no longer needed for military purposes, and that a general law be passed authorizing the Secretary of War to transfer such military sites as may hereafter become useless for military purposes to the custody of the Secretary of the Interior for sale to the highest bidder, after appraisement, or for disposition under the general land laws or such other disposition as may be deemed to be for the best interests of the United States. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, The PRESIDENT. ROBERT T. LINCOLN, Secretary of War. ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, SIR: I have the honor to invite your attention to the subject of aban doned military reservations, and to state that since my reports of December 8 and 15, 1881, in relation thereto, published in House Ex. Doc. No. 39, Forty-seventh Congress, first session, copy herewith, the dispo sition of but three more of the reservations included in the list of "res ervations reported as no longer required for military purposes, &c.," has been authorized by Congress, viz, those of Fort Benton, Mont., Fort Larned, Kans. (acts approved August 4, 1882), and Oglethorpe Barracks, Ga. (act approved April 7, 1882). In continuation of my former reports, the following additional information is published: FORT FETTERMAN, WYO. (Reduction of post reservation and relinquishment of old wood reserve and the hay reserve heretofore recommended ) The post has since been abandoned; the principal buildings were sold September 29, 1882, under authority of the War Department, and miltary custody of same ceased November 1, 1882. Under the Secre tary's instructions of May 1, 1882, the entire post reservation, together with the new wood reservation on La Bonté Creek, about 30 miles south of the post, declared by the President's order of February 9, 1877, and having an area of two square miles, are now reported for the action of Congress. FORTS DODGE AND WALLACE, KANS. Under date of July 20, 1882, the Secretary of War transmitted to Congress copies of correspondence relative to the disposal of the lands and buildings at these two posts, and requested, in view of the advantage that would thereby accrue to the government, that such legislation be had as would authorize him to subdivide the reservations and sell the buildings, with the grounds upon which they are located. (Vide House Ex. Doc. No. 225, Forty-seventh Congress, first session, copy herewith.) No final action appears to have been taken by Congress in the matter. I have also the honor, pursuant to your instructions of June 16, 1882, to report the following additional cases of useless military reservations, with a view of their being brought to the attention of Congress during the present session. OLD FORT LYON, COLO. This reservation was declared by the President's order of August 8, 1863, as the site of "Fort Wise," established August 29, 1860, embracing an area of 60 square miles. The name was changed to Fort Lyon in 1862, and in June, 1867, the post was abandoned and the troops removed to the present site, also known as Fort Lyon, about 20 miles distant, where a reserve was declared by the President's order of September 1, 1868. In this connection attention is invited to the accompanying copy of letter from the Commissioner of the General Land Office, addressed to this department, under date of June 5, 1882, containing a history and description of the reservation of Old Fort Lyon, together with reasons for Congressional action. From this letter it appears that in 1873 and 1874 most of the lands embraced in the reservation were subdivided as public lands, and the limits of the reserve were not respected, through inadvertence. In order that the lands may be properly disposed of, the Commissioner now desires that the action of Congress be invoked. FORT SANDERS, WYO. Post established July 10, 1866, and called "Fort John Buford"; name changed to Fort Sanders September 5, 1866. Located on the Laramie Plains, three miles from Laramie City, on the Union Pacific Railroad, which has a station at the post. Reservation declared by the President January 7, 1867, with an area of 36 square miles, 6 miles square; enlarged by President's order of June 28, 1869, to an area of 81 square miles, 9 miles square; and reduced by act of Congress approved June 9, 1874, to an area of 30 square miles and 491.48 acres. May 1, 1882, the Secretary of War authorized the abandonment of the post, and directed that the reservation thereat be reported for the action of Congress. The abandonment was reported by the Lieutenant-General May 22, 1882, the papers being sent to the Secretary's office May 25, 1882. The buildings at the abandoned post, except the hospital and icehouse, which were torn down and the material removed to other stations, were sold at public auction September 29, 1882, and military custody of same ceased November 1, 1882. In obedience to your instructions of November 23, 1882, attention is again called to the case of FORT WILKINS, MICH., and in this connection to Senate Report No. 666, Forty-seventh Congress, first session (copy herewith), publishing War Department letter of May 12, 1882, to Hon. F. M. Cockrell, of the Senate Military Committee, and full report of this office in the matter, dated May 10, 1882. In the case of Pagosa Springs, Colo. (heretofore directed to be reported to Congress), action has been suspended, in compliance with your instructions of the 9th instant, and special report called for. I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. C. DRUM, The Hon. SECRETARY OF WAR. Adjutant-General. [House Ex. Doc. No. 39, Forty-seventh Congress, first session.] Message from the President of the United States, transmitting a communication from the Scerttary of War relative to the disposal of abandoned military reservations. JANUARY 26, 1882.-Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed, To the Senate and House of Representatives : I transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, a communication from the Secre tary of War, reporting a list of reservations which are no longer needed for military pur poses, and setting forth the necessity for such legislation as will provide for their disposal. CHESTER A. ARTHUR. EXECUTIVE MANSION, January 26, 1882. WAR DEPARTMENT. Washington City, January 17, 1882. I have the honor to transmit herewith (with a request that the same be laid before Congress) reports of the Adjutant-General, dated the 8th and 15th ultimo, together with accompanying papers, in regard to the following-named military reservations, to wit: Fort Fetterman, Wyo.; Fort McPherson, Nebr.; Camp Sheridan, Nebr.; Camp Independence, Cal.; Fort Hartsuff, Nebr.; Fort Benton, Mont.; Hot Springs, Ark.; Fort Steilacoom, Wash.; Whipple Barracks, Ariz.; Coal Reservation on Sulphur Creek, Wyo.: Fort Dodge, Kans.; Fort Wallace, Kans.; and Fort Lyon, Colo. These reservations are reported as no longer of any use for military purposes, and nine of them are in addition to those reported to the House of Representatives by my predecessor on the 4th of February last, which report is published in H. Ex. Doc. No. 90 Forty-sixth Congress, Third session (copy inclosed). At that time twenty-four reservations were reported as no longer needed for military purposes, and authority was asked to dispose of them. It will be seen from the report of the Adjutant-General, of the 8th instant, that the requisite authority was granted in but two cases, so that, including those now reported, there are thirty-one useless military reservations in the custody of this department awaiting the requisite authority of law to dispose of them. These reservations comprise a total area of about 543,312,6×9 acres. (See list hereto attached.) In this connection attention is invited to the remarks of my predecessor, contained in the letter above mentioned, presenting fully the necessity for early action in this class of cases. I would respectfully renew the recommendations contained in said letter, and would ask that authority be granted during the present session of Congress to dispose of the reservations that have been reported as no longer needed for military purposes, and that a general law be passed authorizing the Secretary of War to transfer such military sites as are or may hereafter become useless for military purposes to the custody of the Secre tary of the Interior, for sale to the highest bidder, after appraisement, or for disposition under the general land laws, or such other disposition as may be deemed to be for the best interests of the United States. In view of the importance of this subject, I beg to request that this letter and the ac companying papers, if transmitted to Congress, be printed. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, The PRESIDENT. ROBERT T. LINCOLN. List of the military reservations reported in the foregoing letter, and in the letter of the Secretary of War of February 4, 1881. Fort Benton, Mont., discontinued 1881, 3.24 square miles Fort Butler, N. Mex Camp Cady, Cal., discontinued 1871 Fort Crittenden, Utah, abandoned 1861 Camp Crittenden, Ariz., abandoned 1873 Coal reservation on Sulphur Creek, Wyo Fort Fetterman, Wyo., post reserve to be reduced from 60 square miles to 122 square miles, leaving to be disposed of 47 square miles Hay reserve about 20 square miles. Old Wood reserve, about. Area in acres. 30, 400 12.800 25,000 Camp Goodwin, Ariz., abandoned 1871, about 9 square miles 5,760 wood reserve (4 square miles), grazing reserve (about 4 square miles). Island in Missouri River, east of Kansas City, abandoned 1872 Fort Larned, Kans., abandoned 1878, 16 square miles. Camp Independence, Cal:, abandoned 1877, post reserve (about 120 acres), Area in acres. 2,031.70 1, 218. 22 2,033.19 6.765 5,240 54.70 10, 240 Fort McRae, N. Mex., 4 square miles Fort McPherson, Nebr., abandoned 1880, all of the reserve (except the national cemetery), about 19,000 Rush Lake Valley, Utah, about Fort Randall, Dak., part of reserve north of Missouri River, about Oglethorpe barracks, Savannah, Ga., about of an acre in the center of the city 2,560 75 25,000 112,000 Camp Sheridan, Nebr., abandoned 1881, 28 square miles... Fort Sedgwick, Colo. and Nebr., abandoned 1871, 64 square miles. 5, 131. 47 40, 960 18, 225 Fort Steilacoom, Wash., abandoned 1868. 289 Camp Three Forks, Owyhee, Idaho, abandoned 1871; post, wood, grazing, 5, 120 3,000 Whipple Barracks, Ariz., timber reserve Fort Wilkins, Mich., abandoned 1870, at Copper Harbor, on Lake Superior, about 720 320 Fort Lyon, Colo., area of reservation, as declared, 5,875 acres, reduced by act approved June 23, 1874 (depot and right of way), 10 acres, leaving about Total. Fort Dodge, Kans., area of reservation, as declared, 43,461 acres, reduced by act approved December 15, 1880, about 28,800 acres, leaving about. Fort Wallace, Kans SIR: Referring to the list of military reservations reported by this office January 5, 1881, as no longer needed for military purposes, but remaining in the custody of the War Department in the absence of the necessary legislation for their disposition, which list was transmitted to the House of Representatives in War Department letter of February 4, 1881, and published in H. Ex. Doc. No. 90, Forty-sixth Congress, third session, I have the honor to invite attention to the fact that out of the twenty-four reservations and portions of reservations embraced in said list only two have been the subject of Congressional action, viz, those of Camp Crook and Fort Reading, California. [Vide act approved February 15, 1881, 21 Stats., p. 325.] Regarding certain of these reservations, it is remarked that some of the conditions have changed since the date of my former report, and the following information in relation thereto is accordingly supplied to supplement said report. FORT FETTERMAN, WYO. (Reduction of post reservation and relinquishment of old wood reserve heretofore recommended.) It has been since reported that the hay reserve for this post, declared by the President August 29, 1872, and embracing an area of about 20 square miles, consisting of "the bottom lands and adjacent and pertaining to Deer Creek, Wyoming, from its mouth to the foot of the first high range of hills," is not now available for military purposes by reason of its unprotected condition, and its distance from the post from 20 to 25 miles to the west. The department and division commanders and the General of the Army having concurred in recommending its restoration to the condition of public lands, it is now reported, under the Secretary's instructions of May 5, 1881, with a view to securing the action of Congress, which the department has held to be requisite in all such cases of military reservations duly declared by the President, and which view has been confirmed by an opinion of the Attorney-General, dated July 20, 1881, having special reference to the case of this hay reservation. |