United States Statutes at Large/Volume 5/25th Congress/3rd Session/Chapter 77
Chap. LXXVII.—An Act making a donation of land to the Territory of Iowa, for the purpose of erecting public buildings thereon.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,Grant of land to Iowa for the erection of public buildings. That there be, and hereby is, appropriated and granted to the Territory of Iowa, one entire section of land, of any of the surveyed public lands in said Territory, for the purpose of erecting thereon the public buildings for the use of the Executive and Legislative departments of the Government of the said Territory:Proviso. Provided, That the said section of land shall be selected under the authority of the Territorial Legislature, the seat of Government located thereon, and notice of said selection officially returned to the register of the land office in the district in which the land is situated within one year from the passing of this act:Further proviso. And provided, further, That nothing herein contained shall authorize the selection of the sixteenth section in any township reserved for the use of schools, nor of any lot reserved for public purposes; and that in the selection to be made as aforesaid, no pre-existing improvement or right to pre-emption recognized by law, shall be prejudiced thereby.
Lands reserved, &c.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That if, at the time of the selection of the section of land to be made as aforesaid, the contiguous sections thereto have not been made subject to public sale, or being so subject have not been sold at public sale or by private entry, then each and every section contiguous to said selected section,1842, ch. 110. and not so sold, shall be thereafter reserved and withheld from sale in any manner, until the further order of Congress thereon. But nothing herein expressed shall be construed to restrain the said Territory of Iowa,Iowa may dispose of such part of said land as is more than sufficient, &c. after appropriating a sufficient quantity of land within said selected section for the site and accommodation of the public buildings, from selling and disposing of the residue of said section in lots or otherwise, for the use of said Territory, in the erection and completion of said buildings.
Approved, March 3, 1839.