DUBUQUE & SIOUX CITY RAILROAD.

APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO THE STATE OF IOWA FOR THE DUBUQUE & SIOUX CITY RAILROAD, UNDER ACT OF MAY 15, 1856.

The w hf of nw qr of section 20, township 91, range 31, 80 acres in Pocahontas county, was approved by the Secretary of the Interior to the State of Iowa, September 6, 1876, for the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, under Act of Congress, June 22, 1874, in lieu of the e hf of the ne qr of section 15, township 88, range 36, 80 acres in Sac county.

IOWA FALLS & SIOUX CITY RAILROAD.

APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO THE STATE OF IOWA, FOR THE IOWA FALLS & SIOUX CITY R. R., UNDER ACT OF MAY 15, 1856.

THE DES MOINES VALLEY RAILROAD.

This road which was originally styled the "Keokuk, Ft. Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad," is the beneficiary of the grant by act of Congress of July 12, 1862, extending the Des Moines River grant from the Raccoon fork to the north line of the State. The information given relative to the lands inuring to said road will be found under the head of "Des Moines River grant." In this connection, however, we will recite briefly the legislation of the State relative to said road, and furnish a list of the lands approved and certified to the State for the same since the date of the last biennial report of this office.

By act of March 22, 1858, the State granted to the Keokuk, Ft. Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad Company, on certain conditions, all the lands granted or that might be granted by Congress for the improvement of the Des Moines river, not otherwise disposed of by the State, on the condition that Congress would consent to the diversion; also all stone, timber and other material turned over by the Des Moines Navigation & Railroad Company in settlement with the State, except what was necessary to complete the locks and dams at Croton, Plymouth, Bentonsport and Keosauqua. Congress by the act of July 12, 1862, consented to the diversion of the lands to aid in the construction of said road.

The act of March 28, 1864, provided, among other things, for the grading and classifying the lands to be certified under act of Congress of July 12, 1862, for the payment of all liabilities growing out of the Des Moines river improvement, for building the road to Fort Dodge, for the protection of homestead and pre-emption settlers, for conveying ten sections of land to S. H. Taft, for patenting lands to the Keokuk, Fort Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad Company, upon compliance by said company with the terms of the grant, &c.

The company did not accept of the provisions of said act, and nothing was done under same. In fact there were no lands certified to the State under the said act of Congress, until June, 1866.

Chapter 22, acts of the Eleventh General Assembly, approved March 12, 1866, is amendatory of the last mentioned act. It provides for paying certain claims therein specified out of the proceeds of the sales of the Des Moines river lands, and for issuing warrants for that purpose. It

gives the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company the right to pay any of such warrants. It authorizes the Register of State Land Office to sell lands at a re luced price under certain circumstances.

It provides that all persons, who were in actual occupation and possession of any portion of said lands, at the date of the passage of the act, should have a prior right to purchase the same at two dollars and fifty cents per acre.

Chapter 57, acts Twelfth General Assembly, approved March 31, 1868, required the Register of State Land Office to set apart 200,000 acres of the lands certified to the State under act of Congress of July 12, 1862, half of which were to be sold to pay the claims growing out of the Des Moines river improvement, unless the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company paid them; the other half were to secure the completion of the Des Moines Valley Railroad to Ft. Dodge, during the year 1870. Said Company paid the claims and built the road as required, and by the terms of the act became entitled to the lands thus set apart. This act recognized the claim of S. H. Taft to the ten sections of lands as provided in the act of March 28, 1864; also, the valid claims of all settlers or persons claiming homesteads on any of these lands; it also confirmed the settlement made by the Census Board with the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company and the Commissioner of the General Land Office, known as the Harvey settlement. This act provides for conveying to said Railroad Company the lands certified to the State under act of Congress aforesaid, upon the acceptance by said Company of the provisions of the act, and a compliance with its conditions and requireThe Company accepted and complied with the conditions and requirements of the act, and all the lands certified to the State by the Department of the Interior, under the grant have been conveyed by the State as required by law, except about 11,161 acres which have been withheld on account of conflicts, principally with swamp selections. For a statement of the lands certified to the State under the grant, and the disposition of same by the State, see "Des Moines River grant."

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