The Indians or persons conducting schools or missions in the Territory of Alaska shall not be disturbed in the possession of any lands actually in their use or occupation on June 6, 1900, and the land, at any station not exceeding six hundred and forty acres, occupied on said date as missionary stations among the Indian tribes in the section, with the improvements thereon erected by or for such societies, shall be continued in the occupancy of the several religious societies to which the missionary stations respectively belong, and the Secretary of the Interior is directed to have such lands surveyed in compact form as nearly as practicable and patents issued for the same to the several societies to which they belong; but nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to put in force in the Territory the general land laws of the United States.
25 U.S. Code § 280a - Land in Alaska for schools or missions; general land laws
This Act, referred to in text, means act June 6, 1900, ch. 786, 31 Stat. 321. For complete classification of Title I of this act to the Code, see Tables. Title III of this act provided for the Alaska Civil Code.
Section was formerly classified to section 356 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.
Similar provisions were contained in act May 17, 1884, ch. 53, § 8, 23 Stat. 26, which provided in part that the Indians or other persons in the district should not be disturbed in the possession of any lands actually in their use or occupation or claimed by them, but reserved for future legislation the terms under which such persons might acquire title. That section contained a further provision, similar to the provision contained in this section, continuing lands occupied as missionary stations in the occupancy of the several religious societies.
For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Admission of Alaska into the Union was accomplished Jan. 3, 1959, on issuance of Proc. No. 3269, Jan. 3, 1959, 24 F.R. 81, 73, Stat. c16, as required by sections 1 and 8(c) of Pub. L. 85–508, July 7, 1958, 72 Stat. 339, set out as notes preceding section 21 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.