1911 - 1916 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT HANDWRITTEN LOGBOOK KEPT BY THREE SUCCESSIVE FOREST RANGERS AS THEY KEPT TABS ON THE CLAIMS OF THE MANY HOMESTEADERS WHO POPULATED THE WILDERNESS OF THE BOISE NATIONAL FOREST

On offer is a fascinating leather bound journal, kept by Forest Rangers in the Danskin District of the Boise National Forest in the early part of the 20th century. The book is a record of the homestead claims in the area from 1911 to 1916. Under the Homestead Acts, eligible American citizens were given ownership of land, called a "homestead", at no cost. The book’s claims are alphabetized by last name. In order to be granted a homestead, an applicant had to be the head of the household or at least twenty-one years old and they had to live on the designated land, build a home, make improvements, and farm it for a minimum of five years. The entries in the book keep track of the homesteader’s claim and remark on whether or not they are doing the necessary requirements. The rangers would visit the properties on a semi regular basis to note if it was being used and improved, how many acres under cultivation, number of buildings built, animals kept, etc. For example: “Howell Butler. 1914 - 160 acres all in Section 8. Built house about 14 x 24 of lumber. Worth $75.00. Plowed some and lived on claim during summer to get children to school. Went out for winter. Mr. Howell never went away, just the family. 1915 - Returned in April. Put about 20 acres into ____...Received about 8 tons of hay. Family lived in place all summer. Mr. Howell is away to work at times. All are home all the time. 1916 - Put in about 9 acres more grain. Fenced all...Has a cellar 10 x 14, and small chicken house about 8 x 8.”; “Rasmus Hausen. Filed May-8-1916. Land applied for under application #121. Danskin Dist. Started to build house of logs on Nov. 20, 1916. Residence established April 28, 1917. The residence of the applicant has been intermittent as he has been working for neighboring ranches to get money to improve his homestead. He has cleaned a small piece of ground of brush probably 5 acres. He has not plowed or made any cultivation this year. The only stock he has is a saddle horse. Sept. 17, 1917. Claimant at home - residing in tent. He is clearing sage brush off from a track.” There seem to have been 3 different rangers in the time period that the book was used, as three different handwritings sometimes appear under a single name. The names Charles O’Keefe and R. E. Clabby appear on the front page. The third name is unidentified. The first page states: “Boise National Forest. Danskin District. Charles O’Keefe Ranger in Charge 1912. R.E.Clabby In charge of Danskin Dist. from April 17-1916 to...” The book has a few dozen pages of writing in it, but the book itself has roughly 150 pages. The book gives the impression that homestead claims in this part of the forest were seemingly rare. Not many people wanted to live in the wilderness of Idaho it seems. Even today, the population of the towns within the forest are only a few thousand total. The book measures 5 1/2' x 8 1/2". The front and back cardboards are leather bound with a title written in ink (“June.11.Claims. Danskin District”). The spine shows a good bit of wear and is fairly loose. This is a unique part of Idaho history and an interesting document in the history of American Homesteading as well. Overall: G; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, CHARLES O'KEEFE, R.E. CLABBY, BOISE NATIONAL FOREST, DANSKIN DISTRICT, HOMESTEADERS, HOMESTEAD ACT, IDAHO, UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, 20TH CENTURY WESTERN SETTLEMENT, HOMESTEADING REQUIREMENTS, TURN OF THE CENTURY AMERICA, PRE WORLD WAR 1, AMERICAN LAND OWNERSHIP, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ARCHIVE, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNAL, LOG, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL