§896 Erroneous Cancellation of Bona Fide Entries Corrected

Summary

When officials reviewing land grants find that a real settler’s homestead or preemption claim was wrongly canceled because of a railroad grant or because the land was taken out of sale, the settler can apply to have the claim put back and finish it by following the public-land laws. This is allowed only if the settler did not take another claim, did not make a replacement entry, and did not willingly abandon the original claim. If the settler does not reapply within a reasonable time set by the Secretary of the Interior, the land will be handled under the public-land laws, giving first right to bona fide purchasers of the unclaimed land, and if there are none, to genuine settlers living on it.