AGENCY: School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration
SERIES: 7045
TITLE: Selected lands purchase agreement files
DATES: 1899-
ARRANGEMENT: Numerical by case file number.
DESCRIPTION: These are contracts between individuals and the State Board of Land Commissioners to purchase selected lands granted to the state by the federal government. These records continued to be created by succeeding agencies: the State Land Board, the Department of Natural Resources Division of State Lands and Division of State Lands and Forestry, and then the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. The Enabling Act, which authorized Utah statehood also granted to the state specified numbers of acres of land to support a variety of public institutions (Statutes at Large, Treaties, and Proclamations of the United States, vol. 28, chap. 188). These lands were to be sold and the money put in a permanent fund which would generate interest to support the specified institution. Granted land had to be selected by the state, approved by the federal government and then patented to the state. Each purchase agreement states that a certain named individual is making application to the agency for the selection of specifically described land. The person swears that he/she is a citizen of the United States and agrees to purchase the said land at a certain price once the lands have been selected by the State of Utah and a federal patent has been issued. The agreements specify the amount that will be paid for the land, the terms of payment, the amount of deposit, and verify that the land is not mineral in character. Information included in the agreements are the dates when the agreement was filed, when the land was selected and filed with the Salt Lake Land Office and when the selection was approved by the federal government. Other documents in each file may include correspondence between the agency and the prospective purchaser, correspondence between the agency and the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM), maps, state selection lists, court documents if the land title was in dispute, copies of deeds or certificates of sale, and affidavits showing proof of publication notifying others that the agreement has been filed. If the purchaser does not verify native-born United States citizenship, the file will also contain documents proving naturalized citizenship. These records are critical to the agency's central function, and therefore must be accessible throughout the agency's existence.
RETENTION
Retain permanently
DISPOSITION
May Transfer to Archives.
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
Retention and disposition for this series is authorized by Archives general schedule Real property files, GRS-1403
AUTHORIZED: 09/26/2018
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in Office for 1 year and then transfer to State Records Center. Retain in State Records Center permanently.
APPRAISAL
Administrative Historical Legal
This appraisal is based upon the research value of these records in tracking the history of granted state land and the individuals who purchased the lands.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public