PUBLIC LANDS. 



281 



veyed in each of the States and Territories : Alabama, 

 51; Arkansas, 52; California. 158; Colorado, 105; 

 Florida, 59 ; Illinois, 55 ; Indiana, 34 ; Iowa, 55 ; 

 Kansas, 81 ; Louisiana, 45; Michigan, 50: Minnesota, 

 84; Mississippi, 47; Missouri. C>5 ; Nebraska, 74; 

 Nevada, 112; Ohio, 40; Oregon, 95; Wisconsin, 54; 

 Alaska. 577; Arizona, 114; Dakota, 151 : Idaho, 80; 

 Indian Territory, >'<'> ; Montana, 144; New Mexico, 

 121 ; Utah, 84 ; Washington Territory, 70 ; Wyoming, 

 98 ; Land strip, fi ; total of 2,837,000 square miles 

 or 1. si 5, 5' U. 147 acres. Iti each case, except Ohio. 

 Indiana, Illinois, Indian Territory, and Alaska, land 

 offices are established, in charge of an officer known as 

 reiri.-ter of the land office, where the. records of all 

 surveyed lands are kept, and all applications concerning 

 lands in each district are filed and inquiries answered. 

 The public lands arc divided into 2 great classes. 

 The one class has $1.25 an acre designated as the 

 minimum price and the other $2.5(1 an acre, the 

 latter being the alternate sections, reserved by the 

 United States in land grants to railroads, etc. Titles 

 to these lands may be acquired by private entry or loca- 

 tion under the Homestead, 1're-eaiption, and Timber- 

 culture laws ; or. as to sunie classes, by purchase inr 

 cash. In the case of lands which may be purchased 

 at private sale, or such as have not been reserved under 

 any law, such tracts are sold on application to the land 

 register, who i--ue-; a certificate of purchase, the re- 

 ceiver giving a receipt for the money paid, subject to 

 the issue of a patent, or complete title, if the pro- 

 ceedings are found regular, by the Commissioner of the 

 General Land Office at Washington. 



The following list comprises the U. S. land offices : 



Alabama I luntsville. Montuo.ncry. 



Arkansas Little Rock, Cauiden, Harrison, Dar- 

 dancllc. 



Arizona Prescott, Tucson. 



i'ornia San Francisco, Marysville, Tlumboldt, 

 Stockton, Visalia, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Shasta, 

 Susanville, Bodie. 



Colorado Denver City. Leadville, Central City, 

 Pueblo. Del Norte, Lake City, Durango, Gunnison. 



Dakota Mitchell, Watertown, Fargo, Yankton, 

 Bismarck, Deadwood, Grand Forkg,- Aberdeen, Huron, 

 Greelsbiirgh. 



Florida Gainesville. 



Idaho Boise City, Lewiston, Oxford, Ilailey. 



Iowa Des Moines. 



Kansas Topcka, Salina, Independence, Wichita, 

 Kirwin, Concordia, Lamed, Wa Keeucy, Oberlin, Gar- 

 den City. 



Louisiana New Orleans, Natchitoches. 



Michigan Detroit, East Saginaw, Reed City, Mar- 

 quette. 



Minnesota Taylor's Falls. St. Cloud, Duluth. Fer- 

 gus Falls, Worthington, Crookston, Benson, Tracy, 

 Redwood Falls. 



Mississippi Jackson. 



Mi.'suuri Booticville. Ironton, Sprinarfield. 



Montana Helena, liozeman. Mili-s City. 



Nebraska Beatrice. Lincoln. Niobrara, Grand Isl- 

 and. North Piattc, Bloomington, Neligh, Valentine, 

 McCook. 



Nevada Carson City. Eureka. 



New Mexico Santa Fe. Las ('races. 



Oregon Oregon City, Roseburg, Le Grand, Lake- 

 view, The Dalles. 



Utah Salt Lake City. 



Washington Olympia, Vancouver, Wallawalla, 

 Yakima. Spokane Falls. 



Wisconsin Mena-ha, Falls of St. Croix, Wausau, 

 I/i Crosse, BayfirM. K.iu Claire. 



Wyoming (,'heyenne. Evunston. 



The earliest form of grants of public lands was 

 those to canals, beginning in 1X24 and ending in 1806. 

 The total was 4. 424. "nil acres, divided as follows: 

 Illinois (Illinois Kiver and I/ike Michigan), 291,000 ; 

 Indiana (Wabash and Erie), l,4.V7.'iitu ; .Michigan (St. 

 VOL. IV. s. 



Mary's Ship Canal, Portasre, Superior, La Belle), 

 1,250,000; Ohio (Miami and Dayton, and General), 

 1,100,000 ; Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Rock River and 

 Breakwater), 325,000. The next kind of grants was for 

 river improvements, from 1828 to 1846 ; and the total 

 was 1,406.000 acres. This was divided as follows: 

 Alabama (Tennessee, Coosa, Cahawba, and Black War- 

 rior), 400,000 ; Iowa (Des Moines), 322,000 ; Wiscon- 

 sin (Fox and Wisconsin), 084,000. 



The Pre-emption Act of 1841 was a progressive step, 

 giving a preference to actual settlers, also permitting 

 them to pay for their lands with cash or warrants. 

 According to this act heads of families, widows, or 

 single persons (male or female), over the age of 21 

 years, who are citizens of the United States, or who 

 have declared their intention to become such, under 

 the naturalization laws, may enter upon any "offered" 

 or " unoffered'' lands, belonging to the United Stales, 

 or any unsurveyed lands to which the Indian title has 

 been extinguished, outside of the limits of any land 

 grant, and purchase not exceeding 160 acres under the 

 pre-emption laws. If the tract is "offered" land, the 

 pettier must file his "declaratory statement" in the 

 U. S. District Land Office within 30 days after making 

 settlement: and within one year from the date of 

 settlement lie must make proof of actual residence on 

 and cultivation of the land, and thereupon purchase 

 the same at$1.25 per acre, if outside of the limits of a 

 railroad land-grant, and at $2.50 per acre if within 

 railroad land-grant limits. If the tract is "unoffered" 

 land, the settler must tile his " declaratory statement" 

 within 3 months after the approved plat of the town- 

 ship is received at the U. S. District Land Office, and 

 final proof and payment must be made within 30 

 months after the expiration of the said 3 months. A 

 pre-eniptor may submit proofs of continuous residence 

 at any time after months from the date of settlement 

 and obtain title to his land. The settler in possession 

 of a valid pre-emption claim may, at any time, con- 

 vert his pre-emption claim into a homestead. No per- 

 son who abandons his residence upon land of his own 

 (not a town lot) to reside upon public lands in the same 

 State or Territory, or who owns 320 acres of land in 

 any State or Territory, K entitled to the benefit of the 

 pre-emption laws. The Pre-emption Act is now virtu- 

 ally embodied in the 8th section of the Homestead 

 Law to be described below. It is urged that it should 

 be repealed because it is said not to operate uniformly 

 since it docs not apply to lands in the Southern States. 

 A very peculiar case arose in regard to actual settlers 

 in what was known as the Territory of Oregon 40 years 

 ago. At that time the territory north of California, 

 indefinitely, was claimed by both England and the 

 United States. In 1846 a treaty designated the par- 

 allel 4'.i X. lat. the boundary between British Columbia 

 and the United States, at which time Oregon contained 

 about 10.000 people. By 1850 the Territory had been 

 organized under the United States, and 3000 more 

 immigrants had arrived. In order to make good titles 

 to land taken up when the sovereignty of the region was 

 doubtful, and also to encourage further immigration, 

 Congress pa.-si '! what is called the "Donation Law. " 

 This perfected titles originating under the previous 

 provisional government, and gave to every actual new 

 settler 320 acres of public land ; or, if he were 

 married, it gave him and his wife 640 acres. This law, 

 during its brief existence, aided the settlement of the 

 country so rapidly that the census of only a decade 

 later showed over 50,000 inhabitants. 



By far the most important law enacted by the United 

 States was that of IS65, known as the Homestead Act. 

 Under its provisions any person who is the head of a 

 family, or who has arrived at the age of 21 years, and 

 is a citizen of the United States, or has filed his 

 declaration of intention to become such, is en- 

 titled to enter one-quarter section, or less quantity, 

 of unappropriated public land. The applicant must 

 make affidavit that he is entitled to the privileges of 



