Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1862-12-11

fully and impartIally; Provided, Ihat
the action ofthe commissioners appointed
under the present act shall not interfere
with any of the acts performed By the
Surveyor General, prior to the passage
hereof, in pursuance of instructions un-
der the act to which this is amendatory
Then follows section as to pre-emtion.
SEC. 3 stAnd be it further enacted,
That the proper register and receiver OF
public moneys, after the board OF Com
missions have heard and determined all
of the cases of pre-emption under the
act to which this is an amendment, shall
erposc the residue Of the lots to public
sale to the highest bidder, after adver-
tizing the same in three public newspa-
pcrs at least three months prior to the
day of sale, in the same manner as 1t
provided for the sale Of public lands in
other cases; and after paying the Com
missioners the compensation hereafter
allowed them, and all other expenses
incidental te the said survey and sale,
the receiver of the land Office, shall pay
over the residue Of the money he may
have received from the sale of lots afore
said, by pre-emption as we'll as at public
auction, into the hands of the trustees
Of the respective towns aforesaid, to be
erpendcd by them, in the erection OF
public buildings, the construction Of suit
able wharves, and the improvement Of
street sin the said towns Of Fort Madison,
Burlington, Belview, Dubuque, Peru
and Mineral Point" An act approved
December 6 1886 passed by the Legis-
lature of the Territory Of Wisconsin, au-
thorized the inhabitants of towns (when
their number was equal to, or exceeded
three hundred) to organize themselves
into body corporate.
On or about the 18th of March 1887
the inhabitants of Mineral Point organ
lied as provided by this act.
The area of the town embraced the
parcel of ground now in question. From
the time of this orgaization, some form
of body corporate has been maintained
by the inhabitants of that place.
Prior to the passage of the act of
Congress Of July I'd 1886, divers persons
occupied little and separate parcels Of
the land subsequently laid out as the
town of Mineral Point. Some time in
1884, or 1885, Charles Bracken surveyed
into lots and mapped about so acres Of
land embracing the tract now in dispute /;
and which tract he designated as "Eu6-
lic square" This survey was not aq-
thoritative, and is mentioned merely as
part Of the history of the town.
Under the acts Of Congress, above
mentioned survey and plating OF
the town took place which | shall not
detail as the opinion have formed, rem
dcrs it quite immaterial. | shall treat
the fact as though the subscquentsurveys
were precisely like Brackens, with this
single difference, that in numbering
the lots the marked "Pubic square" by
Bracken, was subsequently numbered
So, in order with other lots. The whole
square originally contained 6-1OO acres.
About I of an acre, on the westerly end,
was finally awarded to pre-emptors, who
became the fee owners thereof.
July 20, 1910, at asale Of public lands
the officers of the Mineral Point Land
Office, sold at auction, the remainder OF
this sqnare of ground, containing about
81-10O of an acre to Robert c. Hoard,
William s. Derring and John Lindsay
county commissioners Of Iowa County
Wisconsin, and to their successors in
office. Subsequently,, the government
of the United States issued patent IN
conformity to the sale. The County OF
Iowa paid the purchase money Pre-
vious to 1910, log court house was
erected upon the tract in question, when
was used for the holding of courts tor
Iowa County, until the County com
mcnced the erection Of the Stone Cou 7
House building now standing thereon
Since that time the courts Of the County
have been held in this Court House un-
til about one year ago, when the county
seat of the County was removed to Dodge
Vile
Tf & claimed that the officers of thf