6 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



Congress of the Confederation in 1780 granting 

 power to receive and take care of land. Seven states 

 at that time presented to the nation nearly two hun- 

 dred and sixty million acres, or 405,000 square 

 miles. Thereafter, the Public Domain has been in- 

 creased by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the 

 Florida Purchase in 1819, the Oregon occupation in 

 1846, the Mexico Cession in 1848, the Texas Pur- 

 chase in 1850, the Mexico Purchase in 1853 and the 

 Alaska purchase in 1867, besides lands in the Phil- 

 ippines, the Hawaiian Islands and Porto Rico; also 

 the island of Guam in the Pacific. Also in lands 

 bought back by the government for special uses, 

 like building sites, forts, camp-grounds and eastern 

 National Forests. Also in lands presented to the 

 nation, like National Parks in the East. 



At the outset of its land owning, the young 

 nation had no other income than was derived from 

 selling its wealth of lands, parcel by parcel, to all 

 comers, in order to procure cash for public enter- 

 prise. Land was its most plentiful possession, al- 

 most its only possession, and was apparently limit- 

 less. The Board of Treasury made sales of public 

 land as early as 1785. Its duties were transferred 

 in 1789 to the Secretary of the Treasury, who then 

 became the nation's sales manager. In 1812 land 

 sales assumed such dimensions that a special bureau 

 was organized in the Treasury Department to take 

 over the growing business. Thus was created the 

 General Land Office. 



