An Act to authorize the exchange of lands acquired by the United States for the Catoctin recreational demonstration area, Frederick County, Md., for the purpose of consolidating Federal holdings therein
PL 83-654 (H.R.8821), enacted 08/24/1954

68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 654-AUG. 24, 1954 
791 
Public Law 653 
CHAPTER 902 
AN ACT 
To confirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to issue patents in 
fee to allotments of lands of the Mission Indians in the State of California 
prior to the expiration of the trust period specified in the Act of January 
12, 1891, as amended. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) The pro-
visions of the Act approved February Eighth, Eighteen Hundred and 
Eighty Seven (24 Stat. 388), entitled "An Act to provide for the allot-
ment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations, and 
to extend the protection of the laws of the United States and the Terri-
tories over the Indians, and for other purposes", and all xVcts amenda-
tory thereof or supplemental thereto, insofar as they have not hith-
erto been applicable, shall apply to patents in fee simple heretofore 
issued or hereafter to be issued under the Act for the relief of the 
Mission Indians in the State of California, approved January 12,1891 
(26 Stat. 712), as amended or supplemented. 
(b) All patents in fee simple heretofore issued covering lands 
allotted under said Act approved January 12, 1891, as amended or 
supplemented, are hereby ratified, confirmed and declared valid from 
the respective dates of such issuance, even though such patents might 
have been issued prior to the expiration of the trust period existing 
with respect to a trust patent. 
(c) All conveyances heretofore made by patentees of lands included 
in fee simple patents heretofore issued covering lands allotted under 
said Act approved January 12, 1891, as amended or supplemented, 
are hereby ratified, confirmed, approved, and declared valid, to the 
same extent as though this Act had been in full force and effect at 
the time of the issuance of such patents. 
Approved August 24, 1954. 
August 24, 1954 
[H. R. 8365] 
Mission Indians, 
Calif. 
Patents in fee. 
Validation. 
Public Law 654 
CHAPTER 903 
AN ACT 
August 24, 1954 
[H. R. 8821] 
To authorize the exchange of lands acquired by the United States for the 
Catoctin recreational demonstration area, Frederick County, Maryland, for 
the purpose of consolidating Federal holdings therein. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary ti^aV^demons'tra-
of the Interior, for the purpose of consolidating Federal holdings tion area, Md. 
of land acquired for the Catoctin recreational demonstration area, 
^ exchange. 
Frederick County, Maryland, is hereby empowered, in his discretion, 
to obtain for the United States land and interests in lands held in 
private ownership within the established watersheds and boundaries 
of said recreational demonstration area by accepting from the owners 
of such privately owned land complete relinquishment thereof, and 
the Secretary may grant to such owners in exchange therefor, in 
each instance, federally owned lands of approximately equal value 
now a part of the Catoctin recreational demonstration area, that he 
considers are not essential for the administration, control, and opera-
lion of the aforesaid recreational demonstration area. 
Any land 
acquired by the United States pursuant to this authorization shall