Why were settlements by gold hunters and fur traders likely not to be permanent?

Do you know of important mining towns that have had a brief life?

PROTECTING OWNERSHIP OF LAND

The story of how individuals acquired the right to own land is an interesting one, but too long to be told here.  The right has long been recognized and protected by government.  If your father owns a piece of land he doubtless has a deed for it, containing an accurate description of the land and giving him title to ownership.  In each county there is an office of government where all deeds are recorded—­the office of the recorder or register of deeds.

The record of every piece of land is thus kept and is open to examination by any one.  If a man wishes to buy a piece of land he will go to the office of the recorder and find out whether the title to the land is clear.  Only by so doing may he be protected against error or fraud.

TRANSFERS OF LAND

Since lands are likely to change hands a number of times, and since men frequently mortgage their lands as security for loans or other indebtedness, thus giving to others a claim to their land, it is sometimes a tedious and difficult task for a buyer to trace the record back and to be sure that the title to the land is clear.  It sometimes requires months.  There are lawyers who make a business of examining the records and making abstracts of titles.  This involves expense.  Besides, there is always the chance that a mistake may be made somewhere.  For this reason some states have adopted a plan known as the Torrens system of land transfer, from the name of the man who devised it in Australia.

Under the Torrens System the government itself, through its proper officer, may examine the title to any piece of land.  The land is then registered, and the owner is given a certificate as evidence.  If a mortgage is placed on the land or if it changes hands the transaction is recorded on the certificate and in the office records.  A mere glance at the record of registry or at the certificate is sufficient to ascertain the title to the land.  Thus time and expense are saved; and moreover the government gives its absolute guarantee to the owner or buyer as to his rights in the land.

The Torrens System is in use in some form in fourteen states of the Union, in the Philippines and Hawaii, and in various other countries of the world.

THE SURVEY OF THE PUBLIC LANDS

When settlers began to occupy the lands west of the Alleghenies, many of them laid claim to tracts without much regard for the claims of others.  Boundary lines were indefinite.  Where surveys were made they were often inaccurate.  Much confusion resulted.  Disputes arose that frequently found their way into the courts and dragged on for many years.  The government sought to put an end to this state of affairs, and in Thomas Jefferson’s administration a survey was begun to establish lines by which any piece of land might be located and defined with exactness.