OF THE

COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE

FOR THE

FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1877.

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1877.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Letter of the Commissioner, transmitting his annual report to the Secretary of
the Interior containing a review of the land system during the fiscal year end-
ing June 30, 1877, and recommending legislation in regard to reorganization
and increase of the clerical force of the General Land Office
Necessity of a complete law library

Judicial tribunal and codification and revision of the laws relating to the pub-
lic lands..

Correction of errors in compilation of Revised Statutes

Overpayment or illegal exactions in the purchase of public lands

Cases of deposit by settlers to cover expense of survey of public lands under

Section 2404, Revised Statutes, p. 443.

Decisions in land cases

Act March 3, 1875, error in description of land granted to the Holy Cross Mis-
sion in Territory of Dakota

Authority to issue commissions to take testimony in certain cases.

Issue of patents for lands located under sixth section of act of June 22, 1860.

Consolidation of all the offices of surveyors general into one, to be located at

Washington

Abolition of the contract system of surveying

Appointment of one surveyor general of the United States with authority to
appoint as many assistants as may be required to personally make the surveys
as fast as may be deemed necessary or provided by law..

Speedy adjustment of swamp land grants...

Survey of islands and beds of meandered lakes, sloughs, and ponds.

12

Lapsed railroad grants by reason of non-completion, enforcement of forfeiture

of grants, or extension of time to complete roads..

List of lapsed railroad grants.

14

Survey, appraisal, and sale of lands valuable only for the pine and other timber

growing thereon..

16

Settlement of private land claims in the State of Colorado and the Territories of

New Mexico and Arizona..

26

Abolition of the fee system in district land offices..

Direct appropriation for salaries.....

30

Extension of act of March 3, 1877, to all classes of entries requiring proof to be

made before entry, necessitating but one local land office in each public land

State and Territory..

31

Recommends legislation in regard to the pre-emption, homestead, timber, and
desert land laws...

Operations under the laws governing the survey and disposal of public lands,

and detailed statement of clerical labor performed in the General Land Office

during the past fiscal year, as reported by the heads of the several divisions of

the bureau, viz:

A.-Report of clerical work performed in division A, under the supervision of

the chief clerk...

B.-Work performed in recorder's division.

C.-Division of public lands

Operations under the homestead, timber culture, and desert land acts.

Act of March 3, 1875, regarding the Detroit arsenal grounds..

42

Sac and Fox and Otoe and Missouria Indian reservations in Kansas and

Nebraska

43

Decisions affecting homestead rights.

Decisions under the timber culture laws

Public lands in the Southern States under act June 22, 1876.

Soldiers' additional homesteads

49

50

D.—Private land claims division, work performed

Decisions of United States Supreme Court affecting private land claims in

New Mexico, confirmed by act of June 21, 1860.

51

Statutes at Large, vol.

12, p. 71

51

E.-Surveying division

Abstract of operations during the fiscal year in the several surveying dis-

tricts

Table of surveys during the fiscal year..
Progress of surveys for the past ten years..

Reservation of public lands for military, town site, and salmon fishery pur-
poses..

Survey of Cherokee lands in North Carolina...

Survey of Allegany Indian reservation of Cattaraugus County, New York..

Texas boundary

Re-establishing lost corners..

F.-Railroads: adjustment of grants for railroad purposes..

Reports of construction....

Decisions affecting railroad grants..

G.-Pre-emption division; clerical work performed.

Number of contested cases; ex parte entries..

Certified copies of records.

Special warrants...

Virginia military district, Ohio

Table showing number of acres located with military bounty land warrants

Page.

54

56

68

68

68

70

71

74

76

77

78

79

93

94

94

96

96

100

101

102

104

104

105

105

106

106

106

under acts of 1847, 1850, 1852, and 1855, in the several land States and

Territories during the fiscal year.

Mineral lands open to exploration, occupation, and purchase..

Manner of locating claims on veins or lodes after May 10, 1872.

117

Tunnel rights..

118

Manner of proceeding to obtain government title to vein or lode claims.

Appointment of deputy surveyors of mining claims, charges for surveys

and publications, fees of registers and receivers, &c...

List of patents issued for mining claims, names of mines, and localities

List of United States surveyors general, showing their place of residence..

List of United States land offices

145

154

154

Annual reports of United States surveyors general for the fiscal year ending

June 30, 1877, numbered from A to P.

218