Donation Land Claim Act

Donation Land Claim Act

The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 (ch. 76, 9 Stat. 496, enacted September 27, 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act) was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest (comprising the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). The law, which is considered a forerunner of the later Homestead Act, brought thousands of settlers into the new territory, swelling the ranks of the emigrants on the Oregon Trail. 7,437 patents were issued under the law until its expiration on December 1, 1855.

History

The law was largely the result of Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon territorial delegate to Congress. The act, which became law on September 27, 1850, granted 320 acres (1.3 km2) to every unmarried white male citizen eighteen or older, and 640 acres (2.6 km2) to every married couple, arriving in the Oregon Territory before December 1, 1850. In the case of a married couple, the husband and wife each owned half in their own name. The law was one of the first that allowed married women in the United States to hold property under their own name. Half-blood Native Americans were also eligible for the grant. A provision in the law granted half the amount to those who arrived after the 1850 deadline but before 1854. Claimants were required to live on the land and cultivate it for four years to own it outright.

The provisional government formed at Champoeg had limited land claims in the hope of preventing land speculation. The Organic Act of the Oregon Territory had granted 640 acres (2.6 km²) to each married couple. The new law voided the previous statutes but essentially continued the same policy and was worded in such a way as to legitimize existing claims. One such claim legitimized by the act was that of George Abernethy, who had been elected to the governorship in the days of the provisional government. His claim became famous for Abernethy Green, where new emigrants camped at the end of the Oregon Trail while seeking a piece of land for themselves.

Claims under the law were granted at the federal land office in Oregon City. The most famous patent granted at the Oregon City Land Office was the plat for the city of San Francisco, which had to be sent up the coast from California by ship. The claims of the land were surveyed by the Surveyor General of Oregon, an office created out of the law. As part of the general survey, the Willamette Stone was placed just west of Portland, defining the Willamette Meridian.

After the 1854 cut-off date, land in Oregon was no longer free but was sold at a price of $1.25 an acre ($3.09/hectare) with a limit of 320 acres (1.3 km²) in any one claim. In the following years the price was raised and the maximum size of a claim was progressively lowered. In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act which was largely designed to encourage settlement on the Great Plains but applied to Oregon as well.

See also

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Donation (disambiguation) — See also information on donating to the Wikimedia Foundation. Donation may refer to: Donation, a gift given, typically to a cause or/and for charitable purposes Donation box, a box used to collect donations Car donation, the practice of giving… …   Wikipedia

  • Homestead Act — thumb|Certificate of homestead given under the Homestead Act in Nebraska, 1868.The Homestead Act was a United States Federal law that gave an applicant freehold title to 160 acres (one quarter section or about 65 hectares) 640 acres (one section… …   Wikipedia

  • Land patent — A land patent is evidence of right, title, and/or interest to a of land, usually granted by a central, federal, or state government) to an individual or private company. In the original 13 American Colonies, a proprietor would grant land patents …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Thurston — Infobox Politician name = Samuel Royal Thurston imagesize = 160px height = caption = small office = Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon Territory s congressional district term start = 1849 term end = 1851 predecessor =… …   Wikipedia

  • Oregon Trail — For other uses, see Oregon Trail (disambiguation). Oregon Trail The route of the Oregon Trail shown on a map of the western United States from Independence, Missouri (on the eastern end) to Oregon City, Oregon (on the western end) …   Wikipedia

  • Oregon Country — Map of Oregon Country The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810,… …   Wikipedia

  • Matthew Deady — Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon In office March 9, 1859 – March 24, 1893 Nominated by …   Wikipedia

  • David Hill (Oregon politician) — David Hill Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon In office 1843–1844 Preceded by position created Succeeded by Second Executive Committee Constituency Oregon Country …   Wikipedia

  • Provisional Government of Oregon — ← …   Wikipedia

  • Oregon Treaty — Map of the lands in dispute The Oregon Treaty[1] is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”