Twenty federal land patents issued between 1859 and 1907 under the Sioux Half-Breed Scrip Act were never extinguished. Superior National Forest was drawn over private title. We're asking a federal court to look at the records.
The Act of July 17, 1854 (10 Stat. 304) authorized the issuance of land scrip to mixed-heritage descendants of the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute Sioux. These scrip certificates could be "located" — applied to specific parcels of surveyed federal land — creating permanent, fee-simple title through federal land patents.
A federal land patent is the strongest form of title the United States government can issue. It represents the permanent transfer of land from federal ownership to private ownership. Once a patent issues, the land exits the public domain. Permanently.
Congress authorizes land scrip for mixed-heritage Sioux descendants, enabling them to claim federal land through the patent system.
Twenty federal land patents are issued under the Act, covering parcels in what is now northeastern Minnesota. Each patent carries presidential authority and transfers land permanently from federal ownership.
The federal government designates Superior National Forest — drawing its boundaries over land that had already left federal ownership through valid patents. No eminent domain proceedings. No purchase. No extinguishment.
Congress designates the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness within Superior National Forest, adding additional federal restrictions to land the government may not validly own.
Documented heirs through the Peloquin-Wapasha lineage file a federal quiet title action under 28 U.S.C. § 2409a, asking the court to recognize the unextinguished patents.
This isn't a theory. It's a title problem. The patents are in the Bureau of Land Management records. The chain of title shows no valid extinguishment. Everything built on the assumption of federal ownership — the National Forest designation, the Wilderness Act protections, the mining leases — rests on title that was already privately held.
Issued under presidential authority through an Act of Congress. Recorded in BLM's General Land Office records. Verifiable by anyone with an internet connection.
No eminent domain proceedings. No federal repurchase. No valid legal process by which these patents were canceled. The land simply... got drawn over.
Twin Metals, PLO 7917, H.J. Res. 140 — all presuppose federal title. If the patents stand, the government has been leasing land it doesn't own for copper-nickel mining.
28 U.S.C. § 2409a exists specifically for this: asking a federal court to examine competing title claims against the United States and declare who actually holds valid title.
"A patent for land is the highest evidence of title, and is conclusive as against the Government, and all claiming under junior patents or titles."United States v. Stone, 69 U.S. 525 (1865)
This case doesn't require new law. It requires a court to apply existing Supreme Court precedent to documented facts.
Filing a federal quiet title action, recording lis pendens in multiple counties, and pursuing this case through the courts requires resources. Every dollar goes directly to filing fees, court costs, and case development.
Contribute to the Case FundWhether you're a potential heir, a journalist covering the Boundary Waters mining issue, or simply want to understand the case better, we welcome your inquiry.
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