Year: 1867

+ [PUBLIc-No. 92


An ACT for the relief of the inhabitants OF cltes


and towns upoh the public lands.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentdtiyes of tho United States Of america IN con-
gress assembled, That whenever any portlon Oh
the public lands of the United states nave peen
or shall be settled upon and occupied as Town
or SITE and therefore not subject to entry nnaer
the agricultural pre-emption laws 1t snail DC IN
corporated, for the corporate autnortles tiierSoi
and if not Incorporated, Tor the 1udge VI the
couniy court for the county in which such town
NAV be situated, to enter at the proper land once
and at the minimum price, the land so settled ana
occupied in trust for the several use ana Denent
of the occupants thereof, according to their re-
spective interests the execution OF WMch trust,
os tn the disposal of the lots in such town, and
the proceeds of the sales thereof, to be condujt-
under such rules and regulations as may De pre-
scribed by the Legislative authority OF the state
or Territory in which the same may situated =
PrOvided, That the entry OF the land intended py
this act to be made shall be made, or declara-
tory statement of the purpose OF the lnha6ltants
to enter 1t town site under this act shall be
filed with the proper register OF the iand ONCE,
Drior to the commencement of the public sale OF
the body of land in which 1t is included, ana that
the entry or declaratory statement snail lncluae
only such lanes as is actually occupied 3y tne
town and the title to which is in the United
States. If upon surveyed lands the entry shall
in its exterior limit be made in conformity TO the
legal subdivisions of the public lands authorized



eight hundred and twenty; and where the lnhab-
itants are in number one hundred and less than
two hundred shall embrace not exceeding three
hundred and twenty acres ; and IN cases where
the inhabitants of such town are more than two
hundred and less than one thousand, shall en-
brace not exceeding six hundred and forty acres
and where the number of inhabitants is one thou
sand and over one thousand, shall embrace not
exceeding twelve hundred and eighty acres Pro-
aided That for each additional one thousand in
habitants, not exceeding five thousand in all, a
further grant OF three hundred and twenty acres
shall be allowed And prOvided further, That in
any Territory in which land office may not have
been established, declaratory statement as herein
before provided may be filed with the surveyor
general of the surveying district in which the
lands are situate, who shall transmit said declar-
atory statement to the General Land Office Ind
prori1ed further That any act of said trustees not
made in conformity to the rules and regulations
herein alluded to shall be void effect to be given
to the foregoing provisions according to such
regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary
of the Interior 4nd providcd, farther, That the
provisions of this act shall not apply to military
or other reservations heretofore made by the
United States, to reservations tor light
houses, custom houses, mnts, or such other pub
lie purposes as the interests of the United States
may REQUIRE whether held under reservations
through the land Office by title derived from the
Crown of Spain, or otherwise; And prOpided
FURTHER, That no title shall be acquired under the
provisions of this act to any mine OF gold, silver,
cinnabar or copper.


Approved, Mai ch 2, 1867.