Town Sites

The president is authorized (Act of March 3, 1863) to reserve from the public lands, surveyed or unsurveyed, town sites on the shores of harbors, at the junction of rivers, important portages, or any natural or prospective centers of population; they are to be plotted and appraised and sold at public sale, and thereafter at private sale, but not below the appraisal. The title is made subject to mineral rights when possessed under local authority (March 3, 1865) and shall not include any mine of gold, silver, copper or cinnabar (Act of March 2, 1867). Town site entries may be made by incorporated towns and cities in the mineral lands, but not to include the above minerals or lead, and the title is subject to possessed veins (Act of March 3, 1891). There are numerous provisions on the subject and special acts as to Oklahoma and Alaska.