Proclamation 553—Establishment of the Gunnison Forest Reserve, Colorado

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 State of Colorado, 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 State of Colorado, and within the boundaries particularly described as follows:

Beginning at the north-west corner of Township twelve (12) South, Range eighty-eight (88) West, Sixth (6th) Principal Meridian, Colorado; thence easterly along the township line to the north-east corner of Township twelve (12) South, Range eighty-three (83) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Township thirteen (13) South, Range eighty-two (82) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Township fifteen (15) South, Range eighty-two (82) West; thence easterly along the Third (3rd) Correction Line South to the north-east corner of Township fifty-one (51) North, Range four (4) East, New Mexico Principal Meridian; thence southerly to the southeast corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), fractional Township fifty-one (51) North, Range two (2) East; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section ten (10), said township; thence westerly along the Third (3rd) Correction line South to the south-west corner of Section thirty-five (35), Township fifteen (15) South, Range eighty-four (84) West, Sixth (6th) Principal Meridian; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-six (26), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section twenty (20), Township fifteen (15) South, Range eighty-three (83) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the southeast corner of Section five (5), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section twelve (12), Township fifteen (15) South, Range eighty-four (84) West; thence westerly to the southwest corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of the north-west quarter of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-six (36), Township fourteen (14) South, Range eighty-five (85) West; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-three (23), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence northerly to the northwest corner of Section three (3), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-six (36), Township thirteen (13) South, Range eighty-six (86) West; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Section eighteen (18), said township; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of the north-west quarter of said section; thence southerly to the southeast corner of the south-west quarter of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-two (32), said township; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section sixteen (16), Township fourteen (14) South, Range eighty-six (86) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-three (23), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-five (35), said township; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Section three (3), Township fifteen (15) South, Range eighty-seven (87) West; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-five (25), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly along the Third (3rd) Correction Line South to the north-east corner of Township fifty-one (51) North, Range two (2) West, New Mexico Principal Meridian; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirteen (13), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section eleven (11), Township fifty (50) North, Range two (2) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-four (34), said township; thence westerly to the northeast corner of Township forty-nine (49) North, Range four (4) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section twelve (12), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section seven (7), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirteen (13), Township forty-nine (49) North, Range five (5) West; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Section nineteen (19), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-five (25), Township forty-nine (49) North, Range six (6) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section three (3), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner o£ said township; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), Township fifty (50) North, Range six (6) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eleven (11), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section one (1), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said township; thence northerly to the north-east corner of Township fifty-one (51) North, Range six (6) West; thence westerly along the Third (3rd) Correction Line South to the South-west corner of the southeast quarter of Section thirty-four (34), Township fifteen (15) South, Range ninety-one (91) West, Sixth (6th) Principal Meridian; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section twenty-seven (27), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of the north-east quarter of Section twenty-six (26), said township; thence northerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section sixteen (16), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section five (5), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section thirty-two (32), Township fourteen (14) South, Range ninety-one (91) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the north-east quarter of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-one (21), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the north-east quarter of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eleven (11), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twelve (12), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty (30), Township thirteen (13) South, Range ninety (90) West; thence easterly to the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section twenty (20), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence northerly to the north-east corner of said section; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section fourteen (14), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section seven (7), Township thirteen (13) South, Range eighty-nine (89) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of the south-west quarter of Section nine (9), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of the south-west quarter of said section; thence easterly. to the south-west corner of Section twelve (12), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of the south-west quarter of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of said section; thence northerly to the northwest corner of Township twelve (12) South, Range eighty-eight (88) West, 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 Gunnison 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 12th day of May, 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 .