sales that specify the prices received give only comparatively a very few instances in which prices higher than the minimum were secured. 1
It will be remembered that considerable school land and some university land had been sold during the territorial period. Furthermore, the territorial law in force at the time of admission as a state had placed the protection and sale of these lands in the hands of the county superintendents of schools. The same law provided that the funds that had accumulated with the territorial treasurer should be distributed among the several counties in proportion to the number of chil- dren in each county. As the county superintendents were to deposit the proceeds of the sales made by them with their respective county treasurers 1 all the school moneys were when sales began by state board held in the county treasuries. 2
Accordingly the first duty of the state board had been to ascertain definitely what lands had been sold and what tracts still belonged to the state; also the condition of the funds in the several counties had to be inquired into. Though the law had charged the board with the full care of these moneys the board decided to apply to the county treasurers to become their local agents.
The law of 1866 had the following specifications governing the sales :
- (1) Those with rights of pre-emption to any school lands could secure them at $1.25 per acre, in any lawful money of the United States. 3 ~!
- (2) Those who furnished approved lieu land could purchase at $1.25 per acre in gold coin.
- (3) Those who had been applicants under the previous law (of 1864) could complete their purchase under the terms of that law.
- (4) All other purchasers must pay the prices appraised
1 Messages and Documents, 1868, Rept. of Board of Commissioners, etc., pp. 4-37. 2 As there were some notes out, given in part payment on sales made before the passage of this territorial law, and as these were payable to the territorial treasurer, a small sum was in his hands. 3 Gold coin continued to be the current money in Oregon throughout the period of depreciated greenbacks so this provision and others like it necessitated the carrying of two sets of accounts in these land funds.
