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Grants to Land Companies and Railroads (view source)
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Starting in 1850 state or federal governments offerred land grants as an incentive to many railroad builders to build certain lines. The expectation was the railroads would quickly sell the land to settlers to raise the money to pay for the building of the railroad. However, in practice government conditions usually prevented, and railroads often chose not to sell the land. Instead, railroads usually used their land grants as collateral to obtain loans (bonds or government sponsored mortgages). Railroad land grants rarely resulted in records that are useful to genealogists.<ref>Wade E. Hone, ''Land and Property Research in the United States'' (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997), 153.</ref> When the railroads sold or transferred parts of their land grants to individuals those sales were usually recorded in the appropriate county land office. | Starting in 1850 state or federal governments offerred land grants as an incentive to many railroad builders to build certain lines. The expectation was the railroads would quickly sell the land to settlers to raise the money to pay for the building of the railroad. However, in practice government conditions usually prevented, and railroads often chose not to sell the land. Instead, railroads usually used their land grants as collateral to obtain loans (bonds or government sponsored mortgages). Railroad land grants rarely resulted in records that are useful to genealogists.<ref>Wade E. Hone, ''Land and Property Research in the United States'' (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997), 153.</ref> When the railroads sold or transferred parts of their land grants to individuals those sales were usually recorded in the appropriate county land office. | ||
The most common form of railroad land grant was | The most common form of railroad land grant was made in a checkerboard pattern along the line of the first tracks. | ||
=== References === | === References === | ||
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=== Sources === | === Sources === | ||
{{reflist}}<br> | {{reflist}}<br> | ||
[[Category:United_States_Land_and_Property|United_States_Land_and_Property]] | [[Category:United_States_Land_and_Property|United_States_Land_and_Property]] | ||