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How was the West settled? Last month, I spent a good deal of my free time (not that there was a lot of it) researching land claims given to railroads in the United States.
No, I used the wrong word. They were not land claims. The government awarded grants and 'right of ways' to various railroads laying tracks west of the Mississippi River.
This is where it gets interesting. While most railroads received 400 feet right of ways, divided in half by the tracks, this changed after 1850. In that year, the government began to give away large chunks of land.
Officially, this award was designated to be used exclusively for 'railroad business'. It gave the railroad a chance to survey the land and choose what would be the best stretch for their right of way. Then the railroad was supposed to file their choice and give back the other acres.
Again, the word is OFFICIALLY. That rarely happened.
Instead, the General Land Office that oversaw claims withdrew almost two hundred million acres from what was available to claim based on the grants. For example, this made two-thirds of the land in Iowa no longer available to settlers.
But what business did Congress imagine the railroads had that required this amount of land?
Learning that the railroads owed huge chunks pushed the public to act. They forced the government to stop giving away the land.
But what about the land already given to railroads? They were selling land for cash. These were the best parcels if a person wanted to settle near a town. The Homestead Act that allowed for free land had virtually no claims near to what some would call 'civilization', and all because of the railroad grants.
Confusing, right? Laws went back and forth, based on the elected Congress. It gave me a great idea, though.
From the book, Maude Ropes the Sheriff:
A chair scraped. The rancher stood. He rolled up the deed, showing he was finished reading it. “You bought the land from the railroad. It’s what I thought.”
“So you know I got a right to everything.”
Evans moved his chin from side to side, denying Clyde’s statement. “Folks in town will need a judge to rule that you own their places. The government sold this same land to Paul’s father.”
“Hey! You tryin’ to pull a fast one? The land agents wouldn’t make that kind of mistake,” Clyde protested.
Paul shrugged as he stood and offered his hand. He looked at it and reluctantly took it. The two shook, with Clyde gripping the offered hand more tightly than he should. The other man did not grimace, and that disappointed him.
“We will need a judge to visit and decide the matter,” O’Hanlon said, repeating the rancher’s conclusion.
“What about the rent owed me? I want that money.”
Evans sighed. “Wait for the judge.”
He spoke slowly, as if he gave instructions to an idiot. It rankled Clyde. He wanted to reach across the desk and grab the rancher by the throat. His fingers clenched, ready to act.
A sudden question distracted him. “Why’d you choose Fox Creek to build your saloon?”
“Huh?”
He turned and stared at O’Hanlon. “What kind of question is that?”
The store owner shrugged. “I’m curious. Seems kind of a big coincidence, you knowing the sheriff and all.”
“Yeah, Fergus, how come you settled here?” The rancher asked, his green gaze piercing. He wanted an answer.
O'Hanlon was the kind of man Fergus could ignore. Sort of mild and wimpy. Evans was a different matter. He was all steel and iron, as hard as a man could be. Clyde knew he would appear weak if he refused to answer.
“Well, I ran into a woman who told me ‘bout the place. She lived here, but she hated it.”
The store owner’s eyes widened. “Did she tell you her father is the blacksmith in town?”
“Yeah, Mick something or other.”
“Murphy,” the other man supplied. “She left her two little girls and ran off with a salesman.”
Clyde grunted. “Yeah, she surely did hate Fox Creek. And she told me all about the people living here. Said they needed a saloon.”
“And when you heard Jeff’s name, you made your plan,” the rancher interrupted.
Rubbing his hands together, Clyde chuckled. “Yep, I decided to take this town away from him.”
Are you wondering who Jeff is? Why does the man named Clyde want to steal his town? Also, what can be done to keep him from claiming the town? After all, he has a deed from the railroad.
You will need to read the book to find out.
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