§ 55. Leases of land in park; mortgages by lessees

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and empowered to grant leases, for periods of not exceeding twenty years, at annual rentals, and under terms and conditions to be determined by him, to any person, corporation, or company he may authorize to transact business in the Yosemite National Park, for separate tracts of land, not exceeding twenty acres each, at such places, not to exceed ten in number, to any person, corporation, or company in said park, as the comfort and convenience of visitors may require, for the construction and maintenance of substantial hotel buildings and buildings for the protection of motor cars, stages, stock and equipment, and so forth. Such leases may, at the option of the Secretary of the Interior, contain appropriate provisions for the appraisement, at the expiration of the lease, of the value of such hotel and other buildings (or portions thereof) as may be constructed by the lessees, respectively, and the payment of the same to the lessees in case a new lease be made to persons other than said lessees, such payments to be made by such new lessees, respectively.

Any person or corporation or company holding a lease or leases within said park for the purposes above described is authorized, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, to execute mortgages upon his or its rights and properties, including his or its contract or contracts with the Secretary of the Interior; such mortgages shall be executed in duplicate and delivered to the Secretary of the Interior for his approval, and upon his approval thereof he shall retain one of said duplicates and file the same for record in his office.

Any mortgage, lien, or encumbrance created under the provisions hereof shall be subject to the rights of the Government to compel the enforcement of the terms of the lease or contract of the mortgagor, and any purchaser under a foreclosure of such encumbrance shall take subject to all the conditions assumed by the original lessee or contractor.

(Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1263, § 2, 26 Stat. 651; July 23, 1914, ch. 206, 38 Stat. 554; June 12, 1917, ch. 27, § 1, 40 Stat. 153.)

Codification

Codification

This section superseded earlier provisions as to leases contained in section 2 of act Oct. 1, 1890.

As enacted by act July 23, 1914, this section contained a provision, omitted for purposes of codification, continuing in effect all existing laws relating to the park and not in conflict with it.

Section 1 of the act of June 12, 1917, incorporated in section 452 of this title, provides for the disposition of all revenue of National Parks and did not directly affect this section. It may have been considered as superseding similar provisions of the act of Oct. 1, 1890, § 2.