"The Government bets you a hundred and sixty acres of land against five dollars," was the saving, "that you can not live on the land for five years without starving." This, including building a home. residence, and some minimal cultivation or clearing was called "proving up." Residence was considered to be a minimum of six months out of each year.

The size was not universally 160 acres nor the fee universally five dollars. Early settlers. even after deferred filing often got more land. On the residence many homesteaders cheated! as has already been told.

For a few there was another way. If a man could swear the land was too rocky for agriculture and was valuable only for its timber. he could file a "stone and timber claim. The fee for this was ordinarily about sixty-five dollars and there was no requirement of residence. Although limited one-to-a customer it was really an outright purchase. Such deals were commonly financed by script left over from the Civil War. This script. given by the Government to veterans of either the Union or Confederate forces was issued to help obtain land for farming. It could be used toward paying flees on and publicly available Federal land. Any man or woman who possesses such script could use it, or if he did not want it he could sell it to one who did. The selling price was usuallv less than half of the assigned worth.

There was a great variety among the settlers. Most were from the woods and farms often the sons and daughters of the men and women who had pioneered other regions A few came from towns and quite a few especially Scandinavians — had come originally from Europe. They lived as well as financial means and individual ability to turn labor into earnings permitted Earning money was not easy.

Poverty cases were many. One man of the McGary Butte area was bedridden den almost constantly with a sciatic back. His wife cut woods did chores but earned little. Fortunately neighborly help from people Who had little them selves was generously at hand. Another man. living north of Helmer provided so poorly for his family that his wife left him and the County took away his smaller children. This man was shiftless. and the neighbors would do nothing for him despite his utter destitution When he fell to eating ground squirrels and pack rats nobody was surprised.