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Rare manuscript DS signed "Brigham Young," one page, 7.25 x 6.75, March 2, 1852. Original draft law of the First Legislature of the Territory of Utah, headed "No. 35," in part: "Resolved by the Governor & Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah that all lands within this Territory that were surveyed by the late Wm. M. Lemon, County Surveyor…that have not been recognized in the office of the surveyor general—the claimants of such lands are hereby required to present such claims, with the claimants names, tracts, parcel…to the surveyor general by or before the first day of June 1852." Affixed below (previously by red wax, now by tape on the reverse) is the slip authorizing the law, signed in ink by Speaker of the House W. W. Phelps, President of Council Willard Richards, and Governor of Utah Territory Brigham Young." Docketed on the reverse: "An act to announce an act to regulate surveyors & surveying." In very good to fine condition, with the two sections joined together with tape on the reverse. Exceedingly rare, this is one of perhaps a half dozen known draft laws from the First Utah Territorial legislature to survive, signed by three leading Mormon pioneers.
In the early 1850s, surveys in Utah were crucial for mapping and developing the newly settled territory. Under the direction of Brigham Young, surveyors like Jesse W. Fox and Henry G. Sherwood helped establish townsites, irrigation systems, and transportation routes. The Great Salt Lake Base and Meridian was surveyed in 1855 as the starting point for land measurements in the region. These surveys played a vital role in organizing land distribution for the growing Mormon population and supporting Young’s vision of a self-sufficient community. A fantastic, early piece of Utah history.
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