"Checkerboarded Lands"? Did you wonder what it meant?
Checkerboarded Lands AKA: Bureau of Land Management Lands - What Does it Mean?
Have you ever heard the term, "Checkerboarded Lands"? Did you wonder what it meant? In a nut shell, the term, Checkerboarded Lands, refers to land or acreage in certain Western States (such as Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska) that is organized in a checkerboard pattern.
This land or acreage encompasses vast areas that are equal parts privately-owned property and federally-owned property. The way it works is: The areas are divided into sections and each section is one square mile or 640 Acres. Then the sections alternate in ownership between private individuals and the Federal Government. On a Bureau of Land Management, (BLM), Map federally owned land or acreage appears in orange and privately owned land or acreage appears in white. When you look at the map, it looks like a checkerboard, hence the term, Checkerboarded Lands.
Land or acreage is available for purchase today within the Checkerboarded Lands in Wyoming. You may ask yourself, "Why would I want to own a part of Checkerboarded Lands?" There are plenty of benefits to owning a part of these lands. Besides owning a piece of American history, you will have access to thousands of acres of land that is not accessible to the general public. As an owner you may cross Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands to access your private lands, whereas the public is not allowed to cross private lands to access Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Therefore you may use your property and BLM lands to enjoy the beauty of America with your friends and family. You can camp, hike, hunt, view wildlife, star gaze and enjoy all the recreations afforded in the open lands of Western America.
You will find that much of the Checkerboarded Lands and acreage are lower priced and largely unimproved. The main reason behind these factors is that it's not easy to build on these lands. Should you wish to build on your property you will face certain obstacles. You will have "physical access" to your property, but to build on your land you would have to obtain "legal access" from the Bureau of Land Management, (BLM), to satisfy lenders, county government and utility companies which can be time consuming and costly.
For more information on purchasing Checker-boarded Lands in Wyoming, visit our website at: www.acreage4less.com or www.wyomingland-acreage.com. Curious about how the Checkerboarded Lands were created? Then read on…
Going back in history to the 1850s, government leaders were concerned about getting lands settled and felt the railroads were the key. Their momentum grew when the US government issued a grant to help build a railroad line from the Great Lakes area of Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico near Mobile, Alabama. Further confirmation came as settlers flocked to the areas along the rail line once it was completed in 1856.
The US government took their theory to the next level by implementing the aggressive notion to create a rail line that would run from the east coast to the west coast. The first step of this initiative was the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. The Act appointed two companies, Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads, the responsibility for building the rail line. Union Pacific Railroad was to lay track westward from Omaha, Nebraska and Central Pacific Railroad was to lay track easterly from Sacramento, California. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 furthermore granted the two railroad companies millions of dollars in loans and millions of acres of land. This is what created all of the Checkerboarded Lands in Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska that we have today.
The land grant provision in the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 granted lands to the railroads under the following terms: A 400-ft. right-of-way across federal lands for the rail lines. Then for each mile of tract constructed, the railroads were granted every other section of land outside the right-of-way, for 10 miles on each side of the tract. The sections granted to the railroads were the odd numbered sections and the federal government retained the even numbered sections.
Then the Railroad Act of 1864 further increased the land grant to 20 miles on each side of the rail lines. To this day the government retains ownership, in many cases, of the sections that were not deeded to the railroads. In 1946 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was created when the General Land Office and the Grazing Service agencies merged. Today the BLM manages about 253 million acres, or about 1/8 of the total area of the United States.
To purchase Checker-boarded Lands in Wyoming or to learn more about government lands visit us at: www.acreage4less.com or www.wyomingland-acreage.com.