Swamplands Act of 1850
Encyclopedia
A U.S. federal law
, the Swamplands Act of 1850 essentially provided a mechanism for transferring title to federally owned swampland to private parties agreeing to drain
the land and turn it to productive, presumably agricultural, use. Primarily aimed at the development of Florida
's Everglades
, and transferring some 20000000 acre (31,250 sq mi; 80,937.2 km²) of land in the Everglades to the State of Florida for this purpose, the law also had application outside Florida, and spurred drainage and development in many areas of the United States, including areas around Indiana
's Kankakee River
, Michigan
's Lake St. Clair
's shores, and elsewhere, and encouraged settlement by immigrants arriving in the United States after that time. Later considered to have been ecologically problematic, many of its provisions were in time reversed by the Wetland Protection Act of 1972 and later legislation, but its historical effects on U.S. development and settlement patterns remained.
Federal law
Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join together in a federation, surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while...
, the Swamplands Act of 1850 essentially provided a mechanism for transferring title to federally owned swampland to private parties agreeing to drain
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
the land and turn it to productive, presumably agricultural, use. Primarily aimed at the development of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
, and transferring some 20000000 acre (31,250 sq mi; 80,937.2 km²) of land in the Everglades to the State of Florida for this purpose, the law also had application outside Florida, and spurred drainage and development in many areas of the United States, including areas around Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
's Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
's shores, and elsewhere, and encouraged settlement by immigrants arriving in the United States after that time. Later considered to have been ecologically problematic, many of its provisions were in time reversed by the Wetland Protection Act of 1972 and later legislation, but its historical effects on U.S. development and settlement patterns remained.