Lydick Homestead: Less Than 2 Acres

Horace S. “H.S.” Lydick (1880-1956) claimed a homestead in 1911, commuted it and lost it in a Sheriff Sale. Finding an opportunity, he filed a second homestead claim for land in Beltrami County, Minnesota under the provisions of the 1862 Homestead Act. The Act granted surveyed public land to adult heads of families for a minimal filing fee. Each applicant needed to be a citizen or promise to become one. After several years of continuous residence on the land, the claim could be “proved.” H.S. Lydick was eligible for an additional homestead claim because the sum of his claims was less than 320 acres.

The National Archives in Washington, D.C. stores the original Land Entry Case files. In April 2022, I held the packet of papers for file #012622 in my hand. I called it Christmas at the Archives.

Land Office

In 1919, H.S. Lydick opened his own land office in Cass Lake, Minnesota with a specialization in Beltrami County.¹Cass Lake (MN) Times, March 27, 1919, page 3, column 3.

In the next few years, H.S. helped several families purchase property in the Kitchi Lake area. [Kitchi Lake is variously spelled Kitchi, Kitihi, Kitchie, Kitihn.]

Brook Lake Township

By 1922, almost all of the land in Brook Lake Township, Beltrami County, MN was owned.²https://glorecords.blm.gov/ Searched for all patented lands in T146 – R30 – Sections 7 & 8. In Sections 7 and 8 only three tiny parcels remained: Lots 2, 3 and 4. On the map below, lots 2 and 3 are shown in yellow; each was less than one acre. Lot 4 is shown in pink: 1.8 acres on Pug Hole Lake, between Cass and Kitchi Lakes.

Inset 1916 Map of Brook Lake Township, Beltrami County, MN³W.W. Hixson & Co.. Plat book of the state of Minnesota.. 1916. University of Minnesota Libraries, John R. Borchert Map Library, umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll231:3111, Accessed 24 May 2022.

Homestead Application

H.S. obviously saw an opportunity for himself, his wife Susan (Roy) and their growing family in Lot 4 of Section 7, Brook Lake Township. On November 19, 1923, he applied for an Additional Homestead Entry.

Final Proof

On May 29, 1928, H.S. submitted Final Proof of his Homestead Claim. He provided these details in his Testimony:

• Natural born citizen; born in Maine
• Married
• Father of 6 children [Mae, Verona, Irene, Lorraine, Jean & Gloria. Maynard died in 1926.]
• Established residence and house built on this land: May 1, 1924
• House 14 feet x 14 feet, with a basement
• Barn 16 feet x 20 feet
• Shed 10 feet x 10 feet
• Boat house 10 feet x 13 feet
• One-fourth acre cultivated to crops
• 100 rhubarb plants
• Plum, cherry and pine trees planted
• 2 cows, 2 horses and a few chickens
• Operating a small sawmill

1942 Map⁴Wood, Lyle. Beltrami County Plat Map of Brook Lake Township T-146-N R-30-W. Scale not given. 1942, Beltrami County, Minnesota. courtesy of the Beltrami County Historical Society.
Colored by Karrie Blees, 2022.
“H.S. Lydick” is barely visible in the blue water next to his 1.8 acres (highlighted pink).

Yes, It’s tiny!

Shown on the map: each Section of land is 640 acres; a Quarter-section is 160 acres. H.S. Lydick obtained the patent/title to the property on March 20, 1929. His homestead was a mere 1.8 acres.

Notes:

For nearly 50 years, family members lived and worked on this strip of land.

The 1924 house was smaller than the barn.

Daughter Mary Mae Lydick did not spend much time at this property. In 1923, she was sent to Buffalo, Minnesota to live with the Ernest Price family.⁵Interview Mary Mae Norenberg and Karrie Blees, 1986. Cass Lake MN. Coincidentally, Ernest Price was one of H.S. Lydick’s Kitchi land customers.

This property became The Pike Hole Resort in the 1930s. That’s a story for another day.

SOURCES

• 1
  Cass Lake (MN) Times, March 27, 1919, page 3, column 3.
• 2
  https://glorecords.blm.gov/ Searched for all patented lands in T146 – R30 – Sections 7 & 8.
• 3
  W.W. Hixson & Co.. Plat book of the state of Minnesota.. 1916. University of Minnesota Libraries, John R. Borchert Map Library, umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll231:3111, Accessed 24 May 2022.
• 4
  Wood, Lyle. Beltrami County Plat Map of Brook Lake Township T-146-N R-30-W. Scale not given. 1942, Beltrami County, Minnesota.
• 5
  Interview Mary Mae Norenberg and Karrie Blees, 1986. Cass Lake MN.