PUBLIC LANDS. The expression apublic lands' or of the United States, is used to include such lands of the United States as are subject to sale or other disposal under general laws and are not re served or appropriated for any special public purpose. This article will treat of the entire area which at any time has been included in the public lands of the United States.
The table below shows for the several States and the Territory of Alaska the total area in acres and the areas unappropriated and unreserved on 30 June 1915 subdivided into those which have been surveyed, those which have not been surveyed and the total area.
Unappropriated public lands are subject to disposition under general laws, the principal of which are the Homestead Law (q.v.), the Desert Land Law (q.v.), the Timber and Stone Law (q.v.), the Reclamation Laws (q.v.) and the Mineral Laws (q.v.).
The public lands of the United States were acquired by treaty, purchase and occupation. By the Articles of Confederation agreed to in Congress 15 Nov. 1777 and ratified by the several States in the four subsequent years the government of the United States of Amer ica was organized and pursuant to that action took possession and control of the unappro priated Crown lands of Great Britain as the successor of that goverr.ment. By the defini tive treaty of peace concluded 3 Sept. 1783 Great Britain formally relinquished all its ((propriety* (proprietary) and territorial rights, leaving the ownership of the United States and of the several States undisputed.
During the existence of the government under the Articles of Confederation, Congress on 6 Sept. 1780 passed a resolution recom mending the surrender and disposal by the several States of their waste and unappropri ated lands to aid in paying the public debt incurred by the War of the Revolution. These lands lay to the west of the present boundaries of the then existing States.
In 1781 New York ceded without reserva tion 202,187 acres now in the county of Erie, Pa. In 1784 Virginia ceded 169,559,680 acres north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi rivers and known in subsequent legislation as the °Northwest Territory," reserving there from 150,000 acres for the benefit of George Rogers Clark and the officers and soldiers who aided him in his successful expedition into that country against the British and also so much of 3,800,000 acres in Ohio as should be needed to satisfy certain donations to her soldiers. There were other
minor stipulations.
In 1785 Massachusetts ceded, without reser vation, 34,560,000 acres, which now forms a part of southern Michigan and Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
In 1786 Connecticut ceded 26,600,000 acres, which now forms the northern parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; reserving, however, 3,800,000 acres, a strip in northern Ohio 120 miles long, which was afterward known as the °Western Reserve* and of which Connecti cut donated 500.000 acres, subsequently known as °Fire Lands," to certain of her citizens who bad suffered loss by fire and raids during the Revolutionary War.
The remainder of the lands reserved by Connecticut were sold to a company for $1,200, 000.
In 1787 South Carolina ceded, without reser vation, 3,130,000 acres, a strip 15 miles wide which now forms the northern parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi; while in 1790 North Carolina ceded 29,184,000 acres, which now forms the State of Tennessee, reserving the right to satisfy therefrom certain donations made to her soldiers and other claims under its land laws, which absorbed the bulk of the lands embraced in her cession.
In 1802 Georgia ceded 56,689,920 acres, now forming parts of Alabama and Mississippi, in consideration of the payment to her of $1,200, 000 and the satisfaction of certain outstanding obligations known as the °Yazoo Claims,* the settlement of which finally cost the United States $5,000,000.
By treaty of 30 April 1803 France ceded 757,961,920 acres, now known as the Louisiana Purchase,* the government paying therefor which includes the original price of 15,000,000, interest, settlement of claims, etc. ese lands now constitute a part of Mis sissippi, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the States lying between them and the Mississippi River.