Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-07
TPUBLIC-No. S3.1

AN ACT granting lands to the states of Michi
gan and Wisconsin, to aid in the construc-
ton of a ''military road" from Fort wilkins,
Copper Harbor, Kewenaw county, in the
state of Michigan, to Fort Howard, Green
Bay, in the state of Wisconsin.
Be it enacted by the senate and house of
representatives of the United States of Amer
lea in congress assembled, that there be and
is hereby granted to the state of Michigan, to
aid in the construction of military wagon
road from Fort Wilkins, Copper Harbor, to
Houghton, Portage Lake, and thence, in a
southerly direction, to the state line of Wis
consin, every alternate section of public land
designated by even numbers, for three Sec
tons in width, on each side of said road, and
also like quantity to be taken and designated
In same manner, to the state of Wisconsin, to
aid in the construction of a like road from the
last mentioned place on the state line of Wis
consin, to Fort Howard Green Bay in the said
state OF Wisconsin. But in case it shall APP
pear that the United States have, when the
line or route of said road is definitely fixed
sold any section, or any part thereof grant
ed as aforesaid, or that the right of pre-
emption or homestead settlement has attached
to the same, then it shall be the duty of the
secretary of the interior to set apart
from the public lands of the United
States as near to said even sections
aforesaid, as may be so much land as
shall be equal to such lands as the United
States have sold or otherwise appropriated,
or to which the right Of pre-emption Or home
stead settlement has attached which lands,
(thus selected in lieu of those sold, and to
which the right of presumption or homestead
settlement has attached as aforesaid) togeth-
er with the sections and parts of sections
designated by even numbers as aforesaid,
and approved as aforesaid shall be held by
the states of Michigan and Wisconsin for the
use and purposes aforesaid: Provided that
the lands to be selected for on account there
of shall in no case be further than fifteen miles
from said road: Provided further, that the
lands hereby granted shall be exclusively
applied in the construction of that road for
and oil account of which such lands are hereby
granted, and shall be disposed of only as
the work progresses, and the same shall be
applied to no other purposes whatever: And
provided, further, that any and all lands here
tofore reserved to the United States by any
act of congress, or in any other manner by
competent authority, for the purpose of aid
ing in any object of internal improvement, or
for any other purposes whatsoever, be and
the same are hereby reserved to the United
States from the operation of this act, except
SO far as it may be found necessary to locate
the route of said road through such reserved
lands; in which case the right of way only
shall be granted
Sect. 2. And be it further enacted that
the said lands hereby granted to the said states
shall be subject to the disposal of the legisla-
ture thereof, for the purposes aforesaid, and
no other; and the said road shall be and re-
main public highway for the use of the gov
eminent of the United States, free from tolls
or other charge upon the transportation of any
property, troops, or mails of the United States
Sect. 3. And be it further enacted, that
the lands hereby granted to said states shall be
disposed of only in the following manner, that
is to say: That a quantity of land, not exceed
ing thirty sections, for said road, may be sold
and when the governors of said states shall
certify to the secretary of the interior that
any ten continuous miles of said road are
completed, then another quantity of land,
hereby granted, not to exceed thirty sections
for said road, having ten continuous miles
completed as aforesaid, may be sold, and so,
from time to time, until tire said road
is completed; and if said road is not COM
pleted within five years, no further sales shall
be made, and the lands unsold shall revert to
the United States.
Sect. 4. And be it further enacted, that said
military road shall be constructed with suf1i-
cient drains and bitches and not less than
forty feet in width, with grade not less than
sixteen feet wide, with such graduation and
bridges as shall permit of its regular use as
wagon road in all seasons of the year, and in
such other special manner as the states of
Michigan and Wisconsin may prescribe.
ADDrOyed March 3, 1863