U. S. GENERAL LAND OFFICE: CASS LAKE LAND DISTRICT:

The Cass Lake land district was created by an executive order of April 1, 1903. The new district consisted of land from the Crookston, Duluth, and St. Cloud land districts. The land office was located at Cass Lake, from July 1, 1903 to January 1, 1933. The following description of the land included in the Cass Lake district corresponds to the numbered diagrams on the accompanying sketch map.

(1) Executive order of April 1, 1903:

a. Townships 146-156 in ranges 30-35 west of the 5th principal meridian from Crookston.

b. Townships 53-64 in ranges 24-27 west of the 4th p.m. from Duluth.

c. All land north of the Mississippi River in townships 143-152 in ranges 25-29 west of the 5th p.m. from Duluth.

d. All land south of the Mississippi River in townships 141-145 in ranges 25-29 west of the 5th p.m. from St. Cloud.

e. Townships 53-55 in ranges 24-27 west of the 4th p.m. from St. Cloud.

(2) By executive order of October 3, 1904, townships 153-160 in ranges 25-29 west of the 5th p.m. and townships 65-71 in ranges 24-27 west of the 4th p.m. were added to the Cass Lake land district from Duluth.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Some of the volumes include indexes.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. U.S. General Land Office. Cass Lake Land District (Minn.). Records. Minnesota Historical Society. State Archives.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 2007-61

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID numbers: 1704804-1704811, 1704813-1704822, 1704824-1704827, 1704833, 6152132, 7438227

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An abstract of declaratory statements filed in the Cass Lake land district under provisions of the Timber and Stone Act of June 2, 1878, as amended August 4, 1892.

The Timber and Stone Act provided that unoffered, unreserved public land valuable chiefly for timber or minerals could be sold to individuals in quantities not to exceed 160 acres at a minimum price of $2.50 per acre. The purchaser had to file a declaratory statement swearing that he was not purchasing on speculation but intended the entry for his own use. The act of 1878 applied to several western states and territories but was extended to all public land states by the 1892 amendment.

The abstract for each declaratory statement gives statement number, date filed, name and residence of applicant, legal description of the tract applied for, and occasional annotations citing the certificate number in the Register of Certificates to Purchasers or citing letters received from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Arrangement: Chronological.

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Lists of lands, apparently compiled in 1933, from lists and documents of the land office for the period 1841-circa 1900. Types of lands in the lists include: university, indemnity school, public, internal improvement, agricultural, mechanic arts. The index included is actually a table of contents.

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A summary record of official proceedings in contests brought against homestead and other entries in the Cass Lake land district.

The docket entry for each contest case gives names of plaintiff (contestant) and defendant (entryman), number of entry contested, legal description of the parcel covered by the contested entry, summary of actions taken on the case, and citations to decisions of the register and receiver or the commissioner of the General Land Office.

The Cass Lake dockets include contested cases involving entries filed in the Duluth, Crookston, St. Cloud and Cass Lake land districts. Homestead entry numbers for tracts entered prior to July 1, 1903, refer to the register of homestead entries for the Duluth, Crookston, or St. Cloud district. Homestead entries filed after that date are recorded in the Cass Lake register of homestead entries.

Arrangement: Chronological by date the contest was filed.

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Itemizations and summaries of office expenses and of payments and commissions received for land sales and entries and other services performed by the register and receiver.

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A record of applications to make final proof on homestead and Timber and Stone Act entries in the Cass Lake land district.

The record of each application gives type of entry, entry number, date of entry, name and residence of entryman, legal description of the tract to be "proved up," date of application to make proof, person before whom proof is to be made, where proof is to be made, date set for proof, newspaper in which proof is to be announced, date proof was actually made, and action taken by the register and receiver (proof accepted or rejected).

Arrangement: Chronological by date the application was filed.

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A record of homestead entries in the Cass Lake land district that were canceled by the commissioner of the General Land Office or relinquished by the entryman.

For each canceled entry the record gives entry number and series, date the entry was filed, name of entryman, tract covered by the canceled entry, and date the entry was canceled by commissioner's letter or relinquishment.

Arrangement: Chronological by date canceled.

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An abstract of letters received from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Each abstract gives letter number (assigned chronologically by the Cass Lake land office), GLO identification initial, date of letter, name of person/case discussed in the letter, a brief of the subject of the letter, date the letter was received, date the letter was answered and/or a notice was sent to the entryman, and a summary of any actions taken in response to the commissioner's letter. There is no corresponding series of the actual letters received for the Cass Lake land district.

Arrangement: Chronological by date the letter was received.

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Record of patents delivered to patentees or their agents for land entered in the Cass Lake land district.

The record gives the type and number of entry, person to whom the patent was issued, date the patent was issued, volume and page where the patent is recorded in GLO records, and name and address of the person to whom the patent was delivered. The Cass Lake volumes include patents for entries that were originally made in the Duluth, Crookston, St. Cloud, and Cass Lake land districts.

Entries in each volume are alphabetical by first letter of surname, thereunder roughly chronological by date delivered. Both volumes cover the same time span, but not the same patentees; the distinction between them has not been explored.

Other finding aid: Each volume is indexed by name of patentee.

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A record of applications to enter land and of final homestead proofs that were rejected or suspended by the register and receiver of the Cass Lake land district or the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Each entry gives rejection/suspension number, description of the tract involved, name of the person applying to enter land or make final proof, date of suspension/rejection, and remarks on the grounds for suspension/rejection. Some include citations to letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office and notes on the eventual disposition of the entry. Applications and proofs that were suspended by the register and receiver were usually forwarded to the commissioner of the General Land Office for final decision.

Arrangement: Chronological.

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An abstract of a land entry (No. 1) made in the Cass Lake land district with agricultural college scrip under provisions of the Agricultural College Act of 1862. Removed from an otherwise blank volume.

The Agricultural College Act, commonly referred to as the Morrill Act, granted each state 30,000 acres of land for each of its United States senators and representatives. The proceeds from the sale of this land were to be used for the benefit of colleges of agricultural and mechanical arts in the state. Those states in which public land was still available for private entry selected their grant from the public land within their boundaries. Those states without sufficient public land received scrip of equal value, which could be redeemed for public land in the western states. The states receiving scrip could not enter the land directly but were required to sell the scrip to second parties, who then either used it to locate land or resold it.

The abstract for the scrip entry gives land office entry number (No. 1), scrip number, the date the scrip certificate was issued, in whose favor it was issued, acre value of the scrip, legal description of the tract located with the scrip, date located, and by whom located.

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An abstract of certificates issued by the register of the Cass Lake land district for land entries made by cash purchase, scrip, or warrant. The certificate established the buyer's legal claim to a parcel of land pending issuance by the GLO of a patent that formally transferred title.

The abstract for each certificate gives certificate number, date issued, name of purchaser and county of residence, legal description and acreage of the parcel purchased, price per acre, and total purchase price. Some abstracts are annotated with citations to commuted homestead entries, timber and stone declaratory statements, or letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Included in this series is the receiver's register of receipts for cash entries, which is largely duplicative except for occasional differences in the annotations.

Arrangement: Chronological by assigned certificate number.

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An abstract of certificates issued for land entries made by cash purchase in the Cass Lake land district for ceded Chippewa reservation land, under provisions of the Nelson Act of January 14, 1889. The procedure for making cash entries on this land was the same as for cash entries on public land, except that the minimum price was based on the appraised value of the timber on the land.

The abstract for each certificate gives certificate number, date issued, legal description and acreage of the parcel purchased, name of purchaser, appraised value, price per acre, and total purchase price. Most abstracts are annotated with the date the patent was issued and the volume and page in which it is recorded in GLO patent records. Some include citations to letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office. The series also records installment and commutation payments for homestead entries on ceded Chippewa land.

Included in this series is the receiver's register of receipts for cash entries, which is largely duplicative except for occasional differences in the annotations.

Arrangement: Chronological by assigned certificate number.

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An abstract of all final certificates issued for homesteaded land in the Cass Lake land district.

The abstract for each final certificate gives certificate number; date the certificate was filed; legal description of the tract homesteaded; name of applicant and county of residence; number of the original homestead application (recorded in the Register of Homestead Entries); commissions and fees paid; price per acre (commissions were based on the appraised price per acre); and various remarks relative to delivery of patents, citations to letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office, and citations to the Register of Certificates to Purchasers if the acreage of the parcel originally entered was in excess of the applicant's homestead eligibility.

The Cass Lake register records final certificates for some homestead entries made in the Duluth, Crookston, and St. Cloud land districts.

Included in this series is a register of receipts for the commissions and fees paid in conjunction with the issuance of final homestead certificates. It largely duplicates information in the registers of certificates, except for occasional differences in the annotations.

Arrangement: Chronological by date the final certificate was issued.

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An abstract of final homestead certificates for homestead entries made on ceded Chippewa reservation land under provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Nelson Act of January 14, 1889. Some final certificates are for homestead entries made in the Duluth and Crookston land districts prior to July 1, 1903.

Final certificates for homesteads on ceded Chippewa land were issued after the entryman had proved up his claim, demonstrating compliance with the residency requirements as in regular homestead entries, and had paid for his homestead as provided for by the Nelson Act.

The abstract for each final certificate gives certificate number, date the certificate was issued, legal description of the tract homesteaded, name of the entryman, number of the original homestead entry (recorded in the separately cataloged Register of Homestead Entries on Chippewa Land) and occasional remarks with citations to letters received from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Included in this series is the receiver's register of final homestead receipts for Chippewa Land, which is largely duplicative except for occasional differences in the annotations.

Arrangement: Chronological.

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An abstract of all applications to acquire land under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862 that were filed in the Cass Lake land district.

Individuals seeking to acquire land under the Homestead Act first filed an application or "declaratory statement" with the local land office, thereby establishing their claim to a particular tract of land. They were then required to live on and improve the land for five years, after which time they presented the local land office a "final proof" of their compliance with the provisions of the Homestead Act. If the land office accepted the proof, it issued a "final certificate." The final certificate was then turned in to the General Land Office, which issued a patent formally transferring title to the homesteader.

The abstract for each homestead entry gives the number of the application or declaratory statement; date of application; name of the applicant; legal description of the parcel entered; and remarks on the issuance of a patent, cancellation, or other disposition of the entry, with citations to relevant letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office. Stamped numbers are serial register numbers, which were given to all entries on which transactions took place after June 30, 1908.

Entries on pages 1-18, which have been crossed out and renumbered 1-99, are homestead entries on Chippewa land that were erroneously recorded in this volume. These entries are correctly recorded in the Register of Homestead Entries on Chippewa Land (separate series).

Included in this series is the receiver's register of homestead entry receipts, for fees and commissions paid by the homesteader at the time of entry. It is largely duplicative, except for occasional differences in annotations.

Arrangement: Chronological by assigned application (entry) number.

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An abstract of homestead entries in the Cass Lake land district on ceded Chippewa reservation land made under provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Nelson Act of January 14, 1889.

The Nelson Act (after Minnesota Congressman Knute Nelson) called for the Ojibwe Indians to cede all of their reservation land in Minnesota except the Red Lake and White Earth reservations. All Ojibwe except the Red Lake Band were then to be concentrated on the White Earth Reservation and given allotments in severalty. The Red Lake Ojibwe were to receive their allotments on the Red Lake Reservation. Land in excess of that needed to provide allotments for the enrolled tribal members was to be ceded to the government, surveyed, and appraised as agricultural or timber land. The agricultural land was to be opened for entry by "purchased homestead" and the timber land was to be sold at public auction with all proceeds placed in trust for the Ojibwe.

Under the Nelson Act, homesteads on ceded Ojibwe land had to be purchased at the rate of $1.25 per acre with payments due in five equal installments. Residence requirements and "proving up" procedures were the same as for regular homesteads. Originally the homesteads on Ojibwe land could not be commuted, but a later amendment allowed them to be commuted to cash entries. The yearly installment and commutation payments are recorded in the Register of Certificates to Purchasers of Chippewa Land.

The abstract for each homestead entry gives entry number, date of entry, legal description of the tract entered, name and residence of the entryman, fees and commissions paid, and occasional notes on the eventual disposition of the entry with citations to letters received from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Included in this series is the receiver's register of homestead entry receipts, for fees and commissions paid by the homesteader at the time of entry. It essentially duplicates the information in the Register of Homestead Entries, except for occasional differences in the annotations.

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An abstract of public land entries made with military bounty land warrants in the Cass Lake land district. Two pages, removed from an otherwise blank volume.

Under acts of 1842, 1847, 1850, 1852, and 1855, Congress authorized the issuance of land warrants as a bounty for military service. The warrants entitled the holder to enter or "locate" a specified amount of public land. The warrants were transferable and most were entered by someone other than the person to whom they were originally issued. The Cass Lake entries were under the act of 1855.

The abstract for each warrant entry gives land office entry number, warrant number, date a warrant was issued, person in whose favor the warrant was issued, legal description of the tract located with the warrant, date located, and by whom located.

Arrangement: Chronological by date of land office entry.

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An abstract of land entries made with surveyor general scrip in the Cass Lake land district under provisions of an act of Congress of June 2, 1858.

This act was intended to settle outstanding claims of individuals or corporations (mainly in Louisiana, Florida, and Missouri) that had received land grants from foreign powers but had lost the land to settlers or whose title to the land had become clouded. The surveyor general of the district in which the claim was located certified the amount of land lost by the claimant and issued scrip of equal value which could be used to locate land in the public domain. This scrip, commonly known as "Surveyor General scrip," was transferable and most was located by someone other than the person to whom it was originally issued.

The abstract for each entry gives entry number, scrip number, date the scrip was issued, acre/value of the scrip, person to whom the scrip was issued, legal description of the tract located with the scrip, date of location, person who located the scrip, and occasional remarks with citations to letters from the commissioner of the General Land Office.

Arrangement: Chronological by assigned entry number.

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An abstract of land entries made in the Cass Lake land district July 1, 1908 to April 21, 1925. Thee Serial Register is a consolidated record of all types of land entries and supersedes the various registers for different types of entries.

The abstract for each entry gives serial number, type of entry (homestead, purchase, etc.), name and address of entryman, legal description of the tract entered, date of entry, and notations of all transactions involving the entry up to the issuance of a patent or cancellation of the entry.

Arrangement: Serial number.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Bounties, Military -- United States.

Deeds -- Minnesota.

Homestead law -- Minnesota.

Indian reservations -- Minnesota.

Land grants -- United States.

Land titles -- Registration and transfer -- Minnesota -- Accounting.

Land titles -- Registration and transfer -- Minnesota -- Cases.

Mineral lands -- Minnesota.

Ojibwa Indians -- Land tenure.

Public land sales -- Minnesota.

Public land sales -- Minnesota -- Accounting.

Public land sales -- Minnesota -- Records and correspondence.

Public lands -- Minnesota.

Public lands -- Minnesota -- Records and correspondence.

Railroad land grant -- Minnesota.

Timber lands -- Minnesota.

Organizations:

United States. Crookston Land District (Minn.).

United States. Duluth Land District (Minn.).

United States. General Land Office.

United States. Saint Cloud Land District (Minn.).

United States. Surveyor General.

Titles:

United States. Desert Land Act.

United States. Nelson Act.

United States. Timber and Stone Act.

United States. Timber Culture Act.

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