Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

§
Marginalia
Code · STATUTES-AT-LARGE · Vol. 11 STAT. · June 3, 1856 · Chapter XLII

Chapter XLII. *making a Grant of Lands to the State of Louisiana, to aid in the Construction of Railroads in said State.* June 3, 1856. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * That there be and is hereby Grant of land to Louisiana for a ra

943 words·~4 min read·/statutes-at-large/vol-11/chapter-xlii·

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Chap. XLII.— An Act *making a Grant of Lands to the State of Louisiana, to aid in the Construction of Railroads in said State.* June 3, 1856. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * That there be and is hereby Grant of land to Louisiana for a railroad.granted to the State of Louisiana, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of a railroad front the Texas line, in the State of Louisiana, west of the town of Greenwood; via Greenwood, Shreveport, and Monroe, to a point on the Mississippi River, opposite Vicksburg; and front New Orleans by Opelousas, to the State line of Texas and from New Orleans to the State line, in the direction to Jackson, Mississippi; every alternate 19section of land designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width on each side of said road.
But in case it shall appear that the United States have, when the line or route of said road is definitely fixed, sold any sections,Grant in lieu of lands preempted or sold. or any parts thereof, granted as aforesaid, or that the right of preemption has attached to the same, then it shall be lawful for any agent or agents, to be appointed by the governor of said State, to select, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, from the lands of the United States, nearest to the tier of sections above specified, so much in alternate sections, or parts of sections, as shall be equal to such lands as the United States have sold, or otherwise appropriated, or to which the right of preemption has attached as aforesaid; which lands (thus selected in lieu of those sold, and to which preemption rights have attached as aforesaid, together with the sections and parts of sections designated by odd numbers as aforesaid, and appropriated as aforesaid,) shall be held by the State of Louisiana for the use and purpose aforesaid: *Provided, *That the lands to be so located shall in no case be further than fifteen miles from the line of said roads and selected for and on account of said roads: *Provided further,* That the lands hereby granted shall be exclusively applied in the construction of said roads, and shall be disposed ofLand, how applied. only as the work progresses, and the same shall be applied to no other purpose whatsoever: *And provided further,* That any and all lands heretofore reserved to the United States by any act of Congress, or in anyAct not to apply to reservations except as to right of way. other manner by competent authority, for the purpose of aiding in any object of internal improvement, or for any other purpose whatsoever, be, and the same are hereby, reserved to the United States from the operation of this act, except so far as it may be found necessary to locate the route of said railroads through such reserved lands, in which case the right, of way only shall be granted, subject to the approval of the President of the United States.
Sec. 2. *And be it further enacted,* That the sections, and parts of sections,Price of alternate sections doubled. of land which, by such grant, shall remain to the United States, within six miles on each side of said roads, shall not be sold for less than double the minimum price of the public lands when sold; nor shall any of said lands become subject to private entry until the same have been first offered at public sale at the increased price. Sec. 3. *And be it further enacted,* That the said lands hereby grantedObject of grant to the said State, shall be subject to the disposal of the legislature thereof, for the purposes aforesaid, and no other; and the said railroads shall beRailroads to be a public highway for government. and remain a public highway for the use of the government of the United States, free from toll or other charge, upon the transportation of any property or troops of the United States.
Sec. 4. *And be it further enacted,* That the lands hereby granted to said State, shall be disposed of only in manner following; that is to say,Lands, how disposed. that a quantity of land not exceeding one hundred and twenty sections, and included within a continuous length of twenty miles of said roads, may be sold; and when the governor of said State shall certify to the Secretary of the Interior that any twenty continuous miles of said roads are completed, then another like quantity of land hereby granted may be so sold; and so, from time to time, until said roads are completed; and if said roads are not completed within ten years, no further sale shall be made, and the lands unsold shall revert to the United States.
Sec. 5. *And be it further enacted,* That the United States mail shall be transported over said roads under the direction of the Post-OfficeTransportation of mails. Department, at Shell price as Congress may, by law, direct: *Provided, *That until such price is fixed by law, the Postmaster-General shall have the power to determine the same. Approved, June 3, 1856. Chapter XLIII: granting Public Lands to the State of Wisconsin to aid in the Construction of Railroads in said State. 11 Stat. 20 1856-06-03 Chapter XLIII Little, Brown and Company text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
Digitization Vendor 2026-01-11 34 2 public 20 THIRTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 43. 1856.
Connections1 off-index
1 reference not yet in our index
  • 11 Stat. 20
Citation graph
cites case law
Chapter XLII
*making a Grant of Lands to the State of Louisiana, to aid in the Construction of Railroads in said State.* June 3, 1856. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * That there be and is hereby Grant of land to Louisiana for a ra
Stat.11 Stat. 20
Cites 1Cited by 0 across 0 sources
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.