Kaniksu Forest Lands Opened to Homesteaders
Federal land near Box Canyon and Sullivan Creek is restored to entry, fueling settlement and speculation.
Several small areas of the Kaniksu National Forest are to be restored to entry soon and eliminated from the National Forest boundaries. The examinations and surveys made by the Service have developed the fact that but small areas are now included in the forest boundaries which are not needed to be retained permanently. The land in the Kaniksu which is to be restored is either already settled upon or of little value. It includes two sections in township 43, range 44, eight and one-half sections in township 36, range 45, all of which is either taken by settlers or practically worthless, and a strip along the river in townships 36 and 39, range 43. The latter is a narrow strip between Box Canyon and Metaline Falls, including the proposed townsite at Sullivan Creek and is all taken by homesteaders or mineral claimants.
“The land in the Kaniksu which is to be restored is either already settled upon or of little value.”
The opening of federal forest land to entry was a major driver of settlement in the Pacific Northwest. Today, the balance between public land conservation and private development remains a contentious issue in the region.
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