Legislation
Acceptance of the Grant
A grant was approved by Congress on August 8, 1846, to the Territory of Iowa "to aid in the improvement" of the Des Moines River from its mouth to the Raccoon Forks, the present site of the city of Des Moines. The grant specifies that every section, 640 acres, lying within five miles of the river, not otherwise disposed of, incumbered or appropriated, was to be surveyed and improved upon under the agreements of the grant. This grant was to become the property of the State as soon as it was admitted into the union, and to be devoted to the improvement of the river. Therefore, the lands granted by the U.S. governement, and accepted by the State upon the conditions imposed by Congress, were to be selected by agents appointed by the Governor, and could only be disposed of as the work of the improvement of the river progressed. The photo to the left shows the Joint Resolution that passed in 1846.