AGENCY: State Land Board

SERIES: 1982
TITLE: Correspondence
DATES: 1896-1959.
ARRANGEMENT: chronologically by date range, thereunder alphabetically by surname of correspondent

DESCRIPTION: This series contains the official correspondence of the state land board pertaining to the management of state trust lands. The 1894 Enabling Act, which authorized Utah statehood, provided for liberal land grants to the state for common schools, state institutions, and internal improvements. The grants usually comprised sections 2, 16, 32, and 36 of each township. Established by the first state legislature in 1896, the Board of Land Commissioners was responsible for selling and leasing state lands and investing the proceeds for the interests of the designated beneficiaries. In addition, the passage of the Carey Act in 1894 provided grants of one million acres of federal land to arid region states to aid the reclamation of desert lands. These grants were conditional on the states arranging for the irrigation and improvement of the land. This series includes correspondence regarding the sale and leasing of state land, requests for information on available state lands and land law, petitions for payment extensions, request for copies of annual reports, negotiations with the federal government (i.e. Department of the Interior) for land transfers, and acknowledgements from local publishing companies on the publication of notices for the sale and availability of state trust land.

RETENTION

DISPOSITION

RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION

These records are in Archives' permanent custody.

FORMAT MANAGEMENT

Paper: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.

Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.

APPRAISAL

Historical

PRIMARY DESIGNATION

Public

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