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As early as 1867, bills were introduced in Congress to encourage irrigation and reclamation of unproductive land and, in 1877, the Desert Land Act linked irrigation to grants of public land. Congress also authorized studies of the Westâs geology and water supply, which culminated in comprehensive reports.
The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 authorized the grant of federal land to the states for sale. Each state was to receive 30,000 acres of land for each representative; both senators and members of the House, mostly from the western territories.