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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 912. Disposition of abandoned or forfeited railroad grants
Whenever public lands of the United States have been or may be
granted to any railroad company for use as a right of way for its
railroad or as sites for railroad structures of any kind, and use
and occupancy of said lands for such purposes has ceased or shall
hereafter cease, whether by forfeiture or by abandonment by said
railroad company declared or decreed by a court of competent
jurisdiction or by Act of Congress, then and thereupon all right,
title, interest, and estate of the United States in said lands
shall, except such part thereof as may be embraced in a public
highway legally established within one year after the date of said
decree or forfeiture or abandonment be transferred to and vested in
any person, firm, or corporation, assigns, or successors in title
and interest to whom or to which title of the United States may
have been or may be granted, conveying or purporting to convey the
whole of the legal subdivision or subdivisions traversed or
occupied by such railroad or railroad structures of any kind as
aforesaid, except lands within a municipality the title to which,
upon forfeiture or abandonment, as herein provided, shall vest in
such municipality, and this by virtue of the patent thereto and
without the necessity of any other or further conveyance or
assurance of any kind or nature whatsoever: Provided, That this
section shall not affect conveyances made by any railroad company
of portions of its right of way if such conveyance be among those
which have been or may after March 8, 1922, and before such
forfeiture or abandonment be validated and confirmed by any Act of
Congress; nor shall this section affect any public highway on said
right of way on March 8, 1922: Provided further, That the transfer
of such lands shall be subject to and contain reservations in favor
of the United States of all oil, gas, and other minerals in the
land so transferred and conveyed, with the right to prospect for,
mine, and remove same.
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