Source: Chart prepared by Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Data from General Services Administration.

Section 7

Public Lands, Parks, Recreation, and Travel

Statistics in this section relate to the Federal public domain and other Federally owned and leased real property, Indian lands, national parks and forests, State and municipal parks, domestic and foreign travel, and other forms of recreation.

Data on public lands are published primarily by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, in Public Land Statistics. Data on Federally owned land and real property are collected by the General Services Administration and presented in its annual Inventory Report on Real Property Owned by the United States Throughout the World. The Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture also issues statistics on land use and land ownership.

The Department of the Interior issues various reports relating to recreation, as follows: The National Park Service publishes information on national parks in its monthly report, Public Use of National Parks, and its annual report, National Parks and Landmarks (successor to Areas Administered by the National Park Service) which also covers sites eligible for registry as natural or national historic landmarks and non-Federally owned national historic sites. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, established in 1962, has issued one statistical report thus far-State Outdoor Recreation Statistics-1962; and the Fish and Wildlife Service compiles and releases data on sport fishing and hunting. Data for municipal parks and playgrounds, as well as for other outdoor recreational activities, are compiled by the National Recreation and Park Association, New York, which issues its Recreation and Park Yearbook at 5-year intervals. The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, in its Annual Report of the Chief, issues data on recreational uses of the national forests. Figures on expenditures for recreation and on domestic and foreign travel, compiled by the Department of Commerce's Office of Business Economics, appear periodically in the monthly Survey of Current Business. Domestic travel data by volume and type were collected by the Bureau of the Census in its 1963 Census of Transportation and published in the Passenger Transportation Survey, Vol. I, National Travel and Home-to-Work Travel. Public-domain and acquired lands.-The U.S. Government acquired sovereignty over its present land area through a series of international agreements and treaties. At the time of acquisition of sovereignty over the areas involved (now 2,271 million acres) title to about 463 million acres rested in individual States and their political subdivisions or in private owners, and was not relinquished to the U.S. Government. Title to the remaining land area passed to the U.S. Government. This area, except for lands in the District of Columbia, is known as the original public domain.

Public-domain lands or public lands are those Federally owned lands to which the public land laws apply. In general, these lands include that portion of the original public domain not disposed of under the public land laws, and certain other lands declared by the Congress specifically to be public lands. In addition to the original public domain, the U.S. Government has from time to time acquired, by purchase, condemnation, and gift, tracts of land needed for public purposes. Such lands are referred to as acquired lands.

Indian lands.—Indian lands are the private landholdings of individual Indians or Indian tribes that are subject to special restrictive provisions of Federal law administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They have been set aside for Indian use by treaties, congressional acts, and executive orders. Although most of these lands are in reservations for specific tribes, there are groups of scattered off-reservation allotments in individual ownership and other small tracts of land occupied by Indian groups. Recreational facilities are increasingly being located and operated by Indians on Indian reservations.

Entries, selections, patents, and certifications.-The data on entries, selections, patents, and certifications refer to transactions which involve the disposal, under the public land laws (including the homestead laws), of Federal public lands to non-Federal owners. In general, original entries and selections are applications to secure title to public lands which have been accepted as properly filed. Some types of applications, however, are not reported until the final certificate is issued. Applications become final entries (perfected entries) upon issuance of a final certificate to the applicant after he has complied fully with the requirements of the laws relating to his application. A final certificate passes equitable title to the land to the applicant. Patents are instruments which pass legal title to the land to the applicant. Certifications are issued in lieu of patents in connection with certain State selections. Historical statistics.-Tabular headnotes provide cross-references, where applicable, to Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957. See preface.

No. 282.

AREA AND ACQUISITION OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: 1781 To 1965 [In thousands of acres. Areas of acquisitions are as computed in 1912; hence do not agree with figures in square miles shown in table 250, which includes later adjustments and reflects subsequent remeasurement. See also Historical Statistics, Colonial Times to 1957, series J 3-9]

1 Comprises original public domain plus acquired lands. Estimated from imperfect data available for indicated years. Prior to 1959, excludes Alaska.

2 Data for Louisiana Purchase exclude areas eliminated by Treaty of 1819 with Spain. Such areas are included in figures for Mexican Cession.

Includes 33,920 acres subsequently recognized as part of State of Texas which is not a public-domain State. Represents drainage basin of Red River of the North, south of 49th parallel. Authorities differ as to method and exact date of its acquisition. Some hold it as part of Louisiana Purchase; others maintain it was acquired from Great Britain.

Source: Dept. of the Interior. Estimated area, Bureau of Land Management; all other data, Office of the Secretary, Areas of Acquisitions to the Territory of the U.S., 1922.

No. 283.

TOTAL LAND AND FEDERALLY OWNED LAND AND BUILDINGS, 1955 TO 1966,
AND BY STATES, 1966

[Land in thousands of acres; cost in millions of dollars. As of June 30]

Source. General Services Administration; annual report, Inventory Report on Real Property Owned by the United States Throughout the World.

Excludes trust properties.

No. 284.

OWNERSHIP OF LAND, BY CLASS: 1954, 1959, AND 1964

[Land in millions of acres. See also Historical Statistics, Colonial Times to 1957, series J 65 and J 75]

1 Land owned by individuals, partnerships, and corporations.

? Trust land held by tribes and individual owners exclusive of Federally owned land used by Indians. 3 Gross acreage of Federal holdings including highway and road rights-of-way in Federal areas.

Includes the major part of highway and road rights-of-way through predominantly private land areas. Source: Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; Major Uses of Land and Water in the United States, July 1962, and unpublished data.

No. 285. FEDERAL LAND, BUILDINGS, AND COST, BY AGENCY: 1960 AND 1966

1 Excludes floor area pertaining to Dept. of Defense military functions outside United States. 21960 data are for Housing and Home Finance Agency.

Source: General Services Administration; annual report, Inventory Report on Real Property Owned by the United States Throughout the World.