 The land, which was granted in a checkerboard pattern along both sides of the railroad's right of way, was then sold to settlers in parcels of at the extremely low price of $2.50 an acre to encourage people to settle along the line, fostering development.of the original lands were reclaimed by the federal government, in 1915, and are managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management.Since much of the land was unfit for development, it did not attract many settlers.