The Cornell Morrill Act Lands Interactive Map
Map originally created by Dr. David Strip, map data from Robert Lee, “Morrill Act of 1862 Indigenous Land Parcels Database,” High Country News, March 2020.
This map presents 6386 individual parcels of land that Ezra Cornell acquired through the Morrill Act on behalf of Cornell University. Individual parcels range from 12 acres to 212 acres, with the bulk of the parcels being 160 acres, or a quarter section – a standard measure of land in the western states and the allowable acreage that could be claimed under the 1862 Homestead Act.
The upper right corner contains the map legend. This indicates what the various symbols on the map mean. Each parcel is indicated by a red square on the map. Current (2020) reservation lands of federally recognized tribes are shown in green. By checking or unchecking the box you can turn off the layer indicated next to the text box. Note: The map may be slow to respond to navigation if a large number of parcels are visible on the screen. The more you zoom in, the more responsive the map becomes.
Click here to explore Cornell University’s present day land holdings (owned and long-term lease)*
*Note: This does not include all parcels currently owned or leased by Cornell since the Cornell administration was unwilling to share information on the full scope of their holdings with the CU&ID Project.