THE STORY OF OUR PUBLIC DOMAIN 27 



animals to the acre, the limit was again lifted, now 

 to 640 acres. 



Meantime the Public Domain was meeting in- 

 creasing demand by rapid additions. 



Title to Oregon was established in 1846 on the 

 basis of exploration and occupation. In this tract 

 were also included the lands which now constitute 

 Washington and Idaho. 



From Mexico came, by treaty of Guadaloupe 

 Hidalgo at the close of the Mexican War in 1848, 

 what later became the states of California, Nevada, 

 Utah, a part of Colorado, and parts of Arizona and 

 New Mexico. Payment to Mexico was $15,000,000. 



From Mexico came, by purchase of 1853 for 

 $10,000,000, lands to rectify the southern boundary 

 of the United States, now divided between New 

 Mexico and Arizona. 



From Russia, by purchase of $7,200,000 in 

 1867, came all Alaska, adding 378,165,760 acres or 

 590,876 square miles more. 



The United States was then complete and fill- 

 ing rapidly with people who earned their land by set- 

 tling upon it and improving it. The sixty years since 

 have seen marvellous development in growth, enter- 

 prise, achievement in every conceivable activity, per- 

 sonal, corporate and national, in wealth, in position 

 and in power. Roughly speaking, the eighteen hun- 

 dreds were devoted to territorial expansion and ag- 

 ricultural development and consolidation, and the 

 nineteen hundreds to achievement of many kinds 



