Viewing Land Settlement Category (6) found:"Claim Making and Preemption." (1855)In 1855, the "Minnesota Republican" newspaper ran a series of articles to help newly arrived immigrants understand and adjust to their new land. This article on "Claim Making and Preemption" appeared in the issue of July 26, 1855. William E. Lass: "The First Attempt to Organize Dakota Territory." (1991)On May 27, 1857, the Dakota Land Company was incorporated in St. Paul by nine politically-connected investors, including Charles E. Flandrau, then serving as an associate justice on the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court. This article recounts the extraordinary story of how the Dakota Land Company schemed--and ultimately failed--to seize economic and political control of the vast lands west of Minnesota that now comprise much of South Dakota. The article was written by William E. Lass, Professor Emeritus of History, Minnesota State University, Mankato. It appeared first as a chapter in "Centennial West: Essays on the Northern Tier States," published in 1991 by the University of Washington Press. Henry Titus Welles: "The Meeker Dam." (1899)After Justice Bradley B. Meeker's term on the Territorial Court ended in 1853, he did not resume the practice of law. Instead he invested in real estate. Among his holdings was a large tract of land below St. Anthony Falls on the Minneapolis-St. Paul border. When Meeker's corporation attempted to get congressional assistance to build a dam across the Mississippi River--and acquire rights to 200,000 acres besides--Henry Titus Welles, a prominent Minneapolis lumberman, intervened to stop it. "The Meeker Dam" appeared first as a chapter in Welles's autobiography published in 1899. Homestead Act of 1862The Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act was signed by President Lincoln on May 20, 1862. By fulfilling certain statutory requirements--filing an application, "improving" the land by actually settling on and cultivating it, and filing for a deed after five years--a settler could acquire title to 160 acres of previously undeveloped land in new states and territories. According to Paul Gates, a noted historian of the public lands, it was "one of the most important laws which have ever been enacted in the history of this country." It was repealed in 1976, although homesteading was permitted in Alaska until 1986. Preemption Act of 1841The Preemption Act of 1841 was passed by the 27th Congress on September 4, 1841. It encouraged settlement of new states and territories by permitting settlers or squatters on government land to purchase up to 160 acres for not less than $1.25 per acre before that tract was offered for sale to the public. The settlers had to reside on and improve their claim before they could buy it. The Act was a shift away from a policy of selling public lands to raise money for the federal treasury and toward one that encouraged settlement of the country. After the Homestead Act was passed in 1862, preemption claims decreased. The Preemption Act was repealed by the Land Revision Act of 1891. "Pre-emption Law." (1859)The passage of the Pre-emption Act of 1841 marked a change in federal policy from the sale of public land to raise revenue to offering lands to encourage the settlement of western states and territories. Pre-emptors--or settlers or squatters--could acquire title by making minor "improvements" to the land they lived on. To make the process understandable to settlers, many of whom were foreign-born, newspapers printed articles on how to file a pre-emption claim with the local federal Land Office. On May 19, 1859, "The Belle Plaine Enquirer" published "Pre-emption Law," which listed the requirements of the legislation. |