Canada West

All public lands in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are controlled and administered by the Dominion Government through the Department of the Interior. The lands disposed of as free homesteads (Government grants) under certain conditions involving residence and improvements, are surveyed into square blocks, six miles long by six miles wide, called townships. When these improvements are completed and duties performed, a patent or crown deed is issued.

THE FOLLOWING IS A PLAN OF A TOWNSHIP

N SIX MILES SQUARE +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ W | | | | | | | | | | | | | E +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ S

[Illustration: Showing how the land is divided into square sections and square quarter-sections. Also showing how the sections in a township are numbered.]

Each township is subdivided into 36 square blocks or sections one mile square and containing 640 acres and numbered from one to thirty-six. Each section is divided into four quarter-sections of 160 acres each.

The four quarters of the section are described, as the northeast, the northwest, the southeast and the southwest quarter.

=Who Is Eligible.= The sole head of a family or any male eighteen years of age or over, who is a British subject or who declares his intention to become a British subject; a widow having minor children of her own dependent upon her for support.

=Acquiring Homestead.= To acquire a homestead applicant must make entry in person, either at the Dominion Lands Office for the district in which the land applied for is situate, or at a sub-agency authorized to transact business in such district. At the time of entry a fee of $10 must be paid. The certificate of entry which is then granted the applicant gives him authority to enter upon the land and maintain full possession of it as long as he complies with the homestead requirements.

=Cattle Provision to Secure Homestead.= With certain restriction, stock may be substituted in lieu of cultivation.

=Residence.= To earn patent for homestead, a person must reside in a habitable house upon the land for six months during each of three years. Such residence however, need not be commenced before six months after the date on which entry for the land was secured.

=Improvement Duties.= Before being eligible to apply for patent, a homesteader must break (plough up) thirty acres of the homestead, of which twenty acres must be cropped. It is also required that a reasonable proportion of this cultivation must be done during each homestead year.

=Application for Patent.= When a homesteader has completed his residence and cultivation duties he makes application for patent before the Agent of Dominion Lands for the district in which the homestead is situate, or before a sub-agent authorized to deal with lands in such district. If the duties have been satisfactorily performed patent issues to the homesteader shortly after without any further action on his part, and the land thus becomes his absolute property.