The Secretary of the Interior (a) shall, whenever it shall be shown to his satisfaction that a tract of public land has been held in good faith and in peaceful, adverse, possession by a claimant, his ancestors or grantors, under claim or color of title for more than twenty years, and that valuable improvements have been placed on such land or some part thereof has been reduced to cultivation, or (b) may, in his discretion, whenever it shall be shown to his satisfaction that a tract of public land has been held in good faith and in peaceful, adverse, possession by a claimant, his ancestors or grantors, under claim or color of title for the period commencing not later than January 1, 1901, to the date of application during which time they have paid taxes levied on the land by State and local governmental units, issue a patent for not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres of such land upon the payment of not less than $1.25 per acre: Provided, That where the area so held is in excess of one hundred and sixty acres the Secretary may determine what particular subdivisions, not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, may be patented hereunder: Provided further, That coal and all other minerals contained therein are reserved to the United States; that said coal and other minerals shall be subject to sale or disposal by the United States under applicable leasing and mineral land laws, and permittees, lessees, or grantees of the United States shall have the right to enter upon said lands for the purpose of prospecting for and mining such deposits: And provided further, That no patent shall issue under the provisions of this chapter for any tract to which there is a conflicting claim adverse to that of the applicant, unless and until such claim shall have been finally adjudicated in favor of such applicant.
(Dec. 22, 1928, ch. 47, §1, 45 Stat. 1069; July 28, 1953, ch. 254, §1, 67 Stat. 227.)
The leasing and mineral land laws, referred to in text, probably mean the mineral leasing laws which are classified generally to Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining.
1953—Act July 28, 1953, provided for mandatory issuance of land patents to certain adverse possessors and broadened discretionary power of Secretary to issue patents to parties who have paid taxes on certain public lands since Jan. 1, 1901.
Upon the filing of an application to purchase any lands subject to the operation of this chapter, together with the required proof, the Secretary of the Interior shall cause the lands described in said application to be appraised, said appraisal to be on the basis of the value of such lands at the date of appraisal, exclusive of any increased value resulting from the development or improvement of the lands by the applicant or his predecessors in interest, and in such appraisal the Secretary shall consider and give full effect to the equities of any such applicant.
(Dec. 22, 1928, ch. 47, §2, 45 Stat. 1070.)
If the claimant requests that the patent to be issued under this chapter not contain a mineral reservation and if he can establish to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the requirements of this chapter have been complied with by such claimant and his predecessors for the period commencing not later than January 1, 1901, to the date of application, no mineral reservation shall be made unless the lands are, at the time of issuance of the patent, within a mineral withdrawal or subject to an outstanding mineral lease.
(Dec. 22, 1928, ch. 47, §3, as added July 28, 1953, ch. 254, §2, 67 Stat. 228.)