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Document 2 –

Letter from the President of the Canal Commissioners to the
Commissioner of the U. S. General Land Office Concerning
Land Patents
 

March 28, 1830
 


Document 2
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Transcription

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Kaskaskia March 28, 1830

Honble George Graham

Commissioner of the General Land Office

             Sir Your letter of the 16th January last to his Excellency N
Edwards in relation to the mode adopted by the Board of Commissioners of
the Illinois and Michigan Canal of selecting the lands to which the
State is Intitled under the act of Congress of the 2nd March 1827,
has been by him refered to me. Not wishing by any act of
the Board, to retard the Execution of a work so beneficial to our
State, I am induced to acceed to the views you have taken
of the subject. & will be governed by them for the future. –
A part of the selected lands are now offered for sale. on the 19th -
of April next, and it is very desirable that the Patents of those
Lands should be sent on soon, those to which the State is not Intitled under
your view of the subject will not be offered for sale, it is very
desirable thare should be no Obstacles thrown in the way of
the approaching sales, it is therefore hoped you will without delay
forward the patents, as it is the determination of the Commisisoners
to proceed with the sales at the time advertised. it is hoped you will
as soon as convenient inform me of your determination, so that the purchasers
of the Land may be relieved of all fears in relation to their titles I will
merely surgest to you, that you Can by an Examination of the
list of selected Lands and plat, Exclude from the patent the
Exterior Sections to which the State is not under your views of
the subject Intitled

Signed: I have the Honor to be Sir
your obt. Sr
Edmund Roberts
President of the Board
of Canal Commissioners

Explanation

The Illinois General Assembly enacted legislation in 1829 to provide a means by which the state could claim those lands the federal government had donated to it for canal purposes (see document 1). Biennially the governor appointed three canal commissioners who were confirmed by the Illinois Senate. The commissioners were to fix the canal route, select appropriate federal lands along the route, conduct sales of those lands to support work on the canal, and oversee the canal’s construction. Expenses were to be paid out of the canal fund which consisted of proceeds from the sales of canal lands. Commissioners were compensated at the rate of three dollars per day.

Ninian Edwards (1775-1833) was the third governor of the State of Illinois, December 6, 1826-December 6, 1830. He had served as the territorial governor (May 27, 1809-October 6, 1818) until the time Illinois achieved statehood.

Points To Consider

How were the canal commissioners proposing to pay for the cost of constructing the canal?

Which party was the previous owner of the lands the canal commissioners were about to offer at public sale?

Where was Kaskaskia in 1818 when Illinois became a state and what function did it serve then? Where is it today?

What is a land patent and what purpose would it have served in the conveyance of public lands?

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