National Timeline

Declaration of Independence signed 

Second Continental Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, begins persuading states to cede claimed land to create the public domain

Revolutionary War ends.  Lands south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River are ceded by Britain to national government of Confederation

Land Ordinance adopted by Congress of the Confederation allows settlement of public domain lands and establishes Federal government’s rectangular survey system

Drafting of U.S. Constitution begins

U.S. Constitution ratified, gives Congress the “power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States...”

Louisiana Purchase by the United States from France nearly doubles size of the nation.  Ohio becomes first state created from the public domain.

Lewis and Clark expedition

General Land Office, responsible for all public land sales, patents, and entries, is established within Treasury Department to oversee disposition of ceded and acquired lands.   (As successor agency to the GLO, the BLM maintains more than nine million historical land documents: survey plats and field notes, homestead patents, military warrants, and railroad grants.  Many of these records can be found at: www.glorecords.blm.gov.)

Spanish cession of Florida and boundary adjustments west of the Mississippi River add more than 46 million acres to the public domain

Republic of Texas, which had declared its independence from Mexico, is annexed by the United States

Oregon Treaty with Britain gives the United States claim to part of the Pacific Northwest

Mexico cedes California and vast areas of the inland West to the United States

Gadsden Purchase adds nearly19 million acres of public land in southern Arizona and New Mexico

Homestead Act entitles Western settlers to 160 acres of public land after they reside on and cultivate the land for five years.  (On Jan. 1, 1863, Daniel Freeman and 417 others file the first homestead claims.  By 1934, over 1.6 million homestead applications are processed, passing more than 270 million acres of public domain into private ownership.)

Transcontinental Railroad Act gives railroad companies rights-of-way and alternate sections of public domain lands along both sides of their railroads

United States purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, adding 375 million acres to the public domain

First coast-to-coast railroad is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah

General Mining Law identifies mineral lands as a distinct class of public lands subject to exploration, occupation, and purchase under specified conditions

Desert Land Act authorizes the disposition of 640-acre tracts of public lands to homesteaders upon proof of reclamation of the lands by irrigation

Timber and Stone Act authorizes negotiated sale of public lands that are valuable for either logging or mining and otherwise unfit for cultivation

Oklahoma Land Rush begins the disposal of public domain lands in Oklahoma

Carey Act authorizes transfer of up to one million acres of public desert land to states for settling, irrigating, and cultivating purposes

Forest Management “Organic” Act transfers fire protection responsibilities for forest reserves from the Department of Army to the General Land Office

Congress extends homestead laws to Alaska

Antiquities Act preserves and protects prehistoric, historic, and scientifically significant sites on public lands through creation of national monuments

Stock Raising Homestead Act authorizes homesteads of 640 acres and separates surface rights from subsurface (mineral) rights

Mineral Leasing Act authorizes Federal leasing of public lands for private extraction of oil, gas, coal, phosphate, sodium, and other minerals

Recreation and Public Purposes Act allows conveyance or lease of public lands to state and local governments for outdoor recreation purposes

Taylor Grazing Act authorizes grazing districts, regulation of grazing, and public rangeland improvements in Western states (excluding Alaska) and establishes Division of Grazing (later renamed U.S. Grazing Service) within the Department of the Interior

Oregon and California (O&C) Revested Lands Sustained Yield Management Act requires O&C Railroad lands to be managed for permanent forest production and provides for watershed protection, regulation of streamflow, and recreational facilities

During World War II, extensive withdrawal of public lands for military purposes begins, with more than 13 million acres withdrawn in two years

BLM is established within the Department of the Interior through the consolidation of General Land Office and U.S. Grazing Service

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act authorizes Secretary of the Interior to lease mineral lands more than three miles offshore.  The BLM assumes responsibility for leasing through competitive sales.

Recreation and Public Purposes Act amends the 1926 Act and allows sale and lease of public lands for purposes besides recreation

Multiple Surface Use Act withdraws common varieties of minerals from entry as mining claims and allows claim owners to use the surface for mining operation purposes only.

Wild Horse Protection Act (also known as the "Wild Horse Annie Act") prohibits hunting of wild horses and burros on public land by aircraft or motor vehicles.

Wilderness Act protects undeveloped Federal land to preserve its natural condition

Land and Water Conservation Fund is established for Federal acquisition of outdoor recreation areas

National Historic Preservation Act expands protection of prehistoric and historic properties

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and National Trails System Act preserve sites with outstanding natural, cultural, scenic, historic, and recreational significance

National Environmental Policy Act requires Federal agencies to assess the impacts of their actions on the environment

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act provides for settlement of aboriginal land claims of Alaskan Natives and Native groups.  The BLM is tasked with the largest U.S. land transfer effort ever undertaken.

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act mandates protection and management of these animals on public lands managed by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service

Endangered Species Act requires the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the ecosystems on which they depend

Energy Policy and Conservation Act addresses energy demands and establishes a strategic petroleum reserve

Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA, the BLM's legislative "charter") repeals homestead laws and establishes policy of retaining public lands in Federal ownership.  FLPMA requires that these lands be managed for multiple uses and sustained yield through land-use planning.

Management of the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska is transferred from the U.S. Navy to the BLM

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act ensures environmental safeguards for mining and reclamation of mined areas

Public Rangelands Improvement Act requires inventory, determination of trends, and improvement of public rangelands

Archaeological Resources Protection Act requires permits for excavation or removal of these resources from Federal lands and sets criminal and civil penalties for violations

Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act designates millions of acres of public land in Alaska as wilderness, national parks, national wildlife refuges, and wild and scenic rivers.  Act also provides for subsistence use by rural Alaska residents.

The BLM completes its first resource management (land-use) plan, covering the California Desert Conservation Area, and designates its first areas of critical environmental concern in Utah and California

The BLM transfers responsibility for offshore leasing to the Minerals Management Service

Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act establishes a new leasing system and changes certain operational procedures for onshore resources on Federal lands.

Northern spotted owl is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, leading to enjoinment of all Federal timber sales within its range

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah is designated by President, representing first such monument under BLM management

National Landscape Conservation System, consisting of wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, national monuments, and other conservation-related units on BLM-managed land, is established by Secretary of the Interior

Energy Policy Act promotes energy efficiency and the production of secure, affordable, and reliable domestic energy

BLM-managed lands are officially designated as the National System of Public Lands

Omnibus Public Land Management Act officially authorizes National Landscape Conservation System and sets penalties for unauthorized removal of paleontological resources from Federal lands