THE STORY OF OUR PUBLIC DOMAIN 31 



ways been extremely generous in respect to all proj- 

 ects making effectively for growth of population or 

 state prosperity. In recent years, its gifts have in- 

 creased in number and value. In 1927, for example, 

 grants were made to states for the following pur- 

 poses : schools, including normal, scientific and min- 

 ing, universities, penitentiaries, public buildings, in- 

 sane asylums, educational, charitable, penal and re- 

 formatory institutions, deaf, dumb and blind asy- 

 lums, military institutions, public parks and inter- 

 nal improvements; also extensive swamp lands for 

 reclamation. 



The railroad grant period between 1850 and 

 1872 saw vast areas of Public Lands given away for 

 the purpose of hastening facilities for transporta- 

 tion. According to the report of the Secretary of 

 the Interior for 1927, railroads had received up to 

 then the great total of 130,944,916 acres or 204,679 

 square miles of free land. Of this, nearly ninety- 

 four million acres were granted directly to ten rail- 

 road corporations including the Union Pacific, 

 Northern Pacific, Southern Pacific and Santa Fe, 

 thirty-nine millions going to the Northern Pacific 

 alone. Other railroad grants were made to states 

 upon their application. 



Grants for railroads usually consisted of the 

 odd-numbered sections of townships within ten miles 

 on each side of the tracks. Later this was broad- 

 ened to twenty miles, and then thirty miles on either 

 side the road beds. Among lands passed over in 



