Proclamation 473—Establishment of the Yellowstone Forest Reserve and the Teton Forest Reserve

Whereas, the Yellowstone Park Timber Land Reserve, in the State of Wyoming, was established by proclamation dated March 30, 1891, and the boundary lines thereof were corrected by proclamation dated September 10, 1891, and the Teton Forest Reserve, in the State of Wyoming, was established by proclamation dated February 22, 1897, under and by virtue of section twenty-four of the act of Congress, approved March 3, 1891, 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 4, 1897, entitled, "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, and for other purposes," that "The President is here- by 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 ;"

And Whereas, the public lands in the State of Wyoming, 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 public reservations;

Now, Therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in me by the aforesaid acts of Congress, do hereby make known and proclaim that, the executive proclamations of March 30, 1891 (26 Stat., 1565), September 10, 1891 (27 Stat., 989), and February 22, 1897 (29 Slat., 906), are hereby superseded, it being one purpose of this proclamation to establish the two forest reserves hereinafter named in place of the reserves heretofore created by said executive proclamations; and, therefore, there are hereby reserved from entry or settlement and set apart as Public Reservations all those certain tracts, pieces or parcels of land lying and being situate in the State of Wyoming and within the boundaries particularly described as follows, to wit:

THE YELLOWSTONE FOREST RESERVE.

Beginning at the point where the eastern boundary line of the Yellowstone National Park intersects the boundary line between the States of Wyoming and Montana; thence easterly along said state boundary line to the point for its intersection with the range line between ranges one hundred and three (103) and one hundred and four (104) west, sixth (6th) Principal Meridian, Wyoming; thence southerly along said unsurveyed range line to the point for its intersection with the fourteenth (14th) Standard Parallel north; thence easterly along said parallel to the north-east corner of township fifty-six (56) north, range one hundred and four (104) west; thence southerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township fifty-three (53) north, range one hundred and four (104) west; thence westerly along the thirteenth (13th) Standard Parallel north to the north-west corner of township fifty-two (52) north, range one hundred and four (104) west; thence southerly along the range line to the south-west corner of township forty-nine (49) north, range one hundred and four (104) west; thence easterly along the twelfth (12th) Standard Parallel north to the north-east corner of section four (4), township forty-eight (48) north, range one hundred and four (104) west; thence southerly along the section lines to the south-east corner of section thirty-three (33), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of township forty-seven (47) north. range one hundred and four (104) west; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of township forty-six (46) north, range one hundred and three (103) west; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of township forty-five (45) north, range one hundred and two (102) west; thence southerly along the range line, allowing for the proper offset on the eleventh (11th) Standard Parallel north, to its intersection with the southern boundary line of Big Horn County, Wyoming, as defined in See. 982 of the Revised Statutes of Wyoming (1899); thence, in a general northwesterly and northerly direction, along said county line to its intersection with the southern boundary of the Yellowstone National Park; thence, in an easterly and northerly direction, along the southern and eastern boundaries of said park to the point of intersection with the boundary line between the States of Wyoming and Montana, the place of beginning, to be known as the Yellowstone Forest Reserve;

THE TETON FOREST RESERVE.

Beginning at the point where the boundary line between the States of Wyoming and Idaho intersects the southern boundary of the Yellowstone National Park; thence easterly along the southern boundary of said park to its intersection with the western boundary line of Big Horn County, Wyoming, as defined in Sec. 982 of the Revised Statutes of Wyoming (1899); thence, in a general southerly and south-east erly direction, along said county line to the north-west corner of the Wind River or Shoshone Indian Reservation; thence, in a general southwesterly direction, along the western boundary of said reservation to its intersection with the township line between townships forty-two (42) and forty-three (43) north; thence westerly along said township line to the south-west corner of township forty-three (43) north, range one hundred and seven (107) west; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said township; thence westerly to the north-east corner of township forty-three (43) north, range one hundred and nine (109) west; thence southerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township forty-one (41) north, range one hundred and nine (109) west; thence easterly along the tenth (10th) Standard Parallel north to its intersection with the western boundary of the Wind River or Shoshone Indian Reservation; thence, in a south-east erly and southerly direction, along the western boundary of said reservation to the point for its intersection with the township line between townships thirty-three (33) and thirty-four (34) north; thence westerly along said surveyed and unsurveyed township line to the south-west corner of section thirty-four (34), township thirty-four (34) north, range one hundred and nine (109) west; thence northerly to the north-west corner of section three (3), said township; thence westerly to the south-east corner of township thirty-five (35) north, range one hundred and ten (110) west; thence northerly to the north east corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of section thirty-four (34), township thirty-six (36) north, range one hundred and ten (110) west; thence northerly to the north-west corner of section three (3), said township; thence westerly along the ninth (9th) Standard Parallel north to the south-east corner of township thirty-seven (37) north, range one hundred and ten (110) west; thence northerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township forty (40) north, range one hundred and ten (110)west; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said township; thence southerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township thirty-seven (37) north, range one hundred and eleven (111) west; thence westerly along the ninth (9th) Standard Parallel north to the north-east corner of section four (4), township thirty-six (36) north, range one hundred and twelve (112) west; thence southerly to the south-east corner of section thirty-three (33), said township; thence westerly to the north-east corner of township thirty-five (35)north, range one hundred and thirteen (113) west; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said township; thence southerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township thirty-three (33) north, range one hundred and fourteen (114) west; thence westerly along the eighth (8th) Standard Parallel north to the north-east corner of township thirty-two (32) north, range one hundred and fifteen (115)west; thence southerly along the range line to the south-east corner of township twenty-nine (29) north, range one hundred and fifteen (115) west; thence westerly along the seventh (7th) Standard Parallel north to the south-east corner of township twenty-nine (29) north, range one hundred and eighteen (118) west; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of section thirty-three (33), township thirty (30) north, range one hundred and eighteen (118) west; thence northerly along the quarter-section lines to the north-east corner of the south-west quarter of section sixteen (16), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly along the section lines to the north-east corner of section five (5), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said section;thence northerly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of section thirty-one (31), township thirty-one (31) north, range one hundred and eighteen (118) west; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly along the quarter-section lines to the point of intersection with the eighth (8th) Standard Parallel north; thence easterly along said parallel to the south-east corner of township thirty-three (33) north, range one hun- dred and eighteen (118) west; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of section thirty-four (34), township thirty-four (34) north, range one hundred and eighteen (118) west; thence northerly to the north-east corner of the south-west quarter of section twenty-seven (27), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of section twenty-one (21), said township; thence northerly along the quarter-section lines to the north-east corner of the south-west quarter of section nine (9), said township; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly to the north-east corner of section eight (8), said township; thence westerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of section five (5), said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said quarter-section; thence westerly to the north-west corner of said quarter-section; thence northerly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of section thirty-one (31), township thirty-five (35) north, range one hundred and eighteen (118) west; thence westerly to the north-west corner of the south-west quarter of said section; thence northerly along the range line to its intersection with the ninth (9th) Standard Parallel north; thence westerly along said parallel to its intersection with the boundary line between the States of Wyoming and Idaho; thence northerly along said state boundary line to the point where it intersects the southern boundary of the Yellowstone National Park, the place of beginning, to be known as The Teton Forest Reserve; excepting and excluding from reservation all those certain tracts, pieces or parcels of land lying and being situate in the State of Wyoming and particularly described as follows, to wit:

Township forty (40) north, range one hundred and sixteen (116) west; townships forty-one (41) north, ranges one hundred and fifteen (115) and one hundred and sixteen (116) west; and townships forty-two (42)north, ranges one hundred and fifteen (115)and one hundred and sixteen (116) west.

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.

Provided further , That nothing herein shall give any force or effect to any claim or right to any of the lands heretofore embraced within the Yellowstone Park Timber Land Reserve or the Teton Forest Reserve which would not have been entitled to recognition if said reserves as heretofore established had been continued in force without being merged into larger reserves as hereinbefore provided.

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 twenty-second day of May, 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 .