Proclamation 582—Enlargement of the Gila Forest Reserve, New Mexico

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, it is further provided by the Act of Congress, approved June fourth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, entitled, "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and for other purposes", that "The President is hereby 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 Territory of New Mexico, 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 the aforesaid acts of Congress, do hereby make known and proclaim that the Gila River Forest Reserve, in the Territory of New Mexico, established by proclamation of March second, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, is hereby so changed and enlarged as to include all those certain tracts, pieces or parcels of land lying and being situate in the Territory of New Mexico, and within the boundaries particularly described as follows:

Beginning at the north-east corner of Township five (5) South, Range sixteen (16) West, New Mexico Principal Meridian, New Mexico; thence southerly along the range line, allowing for the proper offset on the First (1st) Standard Parallel South, to the north-west corner of Township nine (9) South, Range fifteen (15) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-two (32), Township nine (9) South, Range twelve (12) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty-three (33), Township eight (8) South, Range twelve (12) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty-two (22), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-four (24), said township; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty (30), Township eight (8) South, Range eleven (11) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-one (31), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section three (3), Township nine (9) South, Range eleven (11) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section fifteen (15), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty-four (34), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said section; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Township nine (9) South, Range ten (10) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section nineteen (19), said township; thence easterly to the south-west corner of Section seventeen (17), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to thesouth-west corner of Section nine (9), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to thesouth-west corner of Section three (3), said township; thence northerly to the north-westcornerof said section; thence easterly to thesouth-west corner of Section thirty-five (35), Township eight (8) South, Range ten (10) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section thirty-six (36), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty (30), Township eight (8) South, Range nine (9) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Section twenty-six (26), said township; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-five (35), Township nine (9) South, Range nine (9) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Township ten (10) South, Range nine (9) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence easterly along the Second (2nd) Standard Parallel South to the north-east corner of Section six (6), Township eleven (11) South, Range eight (8) West; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section twenty (20), Township twelve (12) South, Range eight (8) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section eight (8), Township thirteen (13) South, Range eight (8) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section eighteen (18), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section thirty-one (31), Township fourteen (14) South, Range eight (8) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section thirty-one (31), Township fifteen (15) South, Range eight (8) West; thence easterly along the Third (3rd) Standard Parallel South to the north-east corner of Section five (5), Township sixteen (16) South, Range eight (8) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section seventeen (17), said township; 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), Township seventeen (17) South, Range eight (8) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section thirty-three (33), Township seventeen (17) South, Range nine (9) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-nine (29), said township; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section eighteen (18), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section one (1), Township seventeen (17) South, Range ten (10) West; 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 thirty-five (35), Township sixteen (16) South, Range ten (10) West; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-two (22), 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 sixteen (16), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twelve (12), Township sixteen (16) South, Range eleven (11) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section four (4), said township; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly along the Third (3rd) Standard Parallel South to the north-west corner of said township; thence southerly to the north-west corner of Section eighteen (18), said township; thence easterly to the north-east corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section eighteen (18), Township seventeen (17) South, Range eleven (11) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section fourteen (14), Township seventeen (17) South, Range twelve (12) West; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section three (3), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of said section; thence southerly to the south-east corner of Section sixteen (16), said township; 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 eastern boundary of the Fort Bayard Military Reservation; thence northerly, westerly and southerly along the boundary of said Military Reservation to the south-east corner of Lot four (4), Section twenty-two (22), Township seventeen (17) South, Range thirteen (13) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-one (21), said township; thence northerly to the southeast corner of Section eight (8), said township; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twelve (12), Township seventeen (17) South, Range fourteen (14) West; thence northerly to the north-west corner of said section; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section six (6), Township seventeen (17) South, Range fifteen (15) West; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section twenty-five (25), Township sixteen (16) South, Range sixteen (16) West; thence westerly to the south-west corner of Section twenty-eight (28), said township; thence northerly to the south-east corner of Section eight (8), 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 six (6), said township; thence northerly, allowing for the proper offset on the Third (3rd) Standard Parallel South, to thenorth-west corner of Township fifteen (15) South, Range sixteen (16) West; thence westerly to the north-east corner of Township fifteen (15) South, Range nineteen (19) West; thence southerly to the south-east corner of said township; thence westerly to the boundary line between New Mexico and Arizona; thence northerly along said boundary line to the north-west corner of Township five (5) South, Range twenty-one (21) West; thence easterly to the north-east corner of Township five (5) South, Range sixteen (16) 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.

This reservation shall be known hereafter as the Gila 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 21st day of July 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:

ALVEY A. ADEE,

Acting Secretary of State.