Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That any person who shall appropriate, excavate,
injure, or destroy any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of
antiquity, situated on lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United
States, without the permission of the Secretary of the Department of the Government
having jurisdiction over the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall, upon
conviction, be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned
for a period of not more than ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in
the discretion of the court.
Sec. 2. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion,
to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric
structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the
lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national
monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all
cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and
management of the objects to be protected: Provided, That when such objects are
situated upon a tract covered by a bona fied unperfected claim or held in private
ownership, the tract, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the proper care and
management of the object, may be relinquished to the Government, and the Secretary
of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the relinquishment of such tracts in behalf
of the Government of the United States.
Sec. 3. That permits for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archaeological
sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity upon the lands under their respective
jurisdictions may be granted by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and War to
institutions which the may deem properly qualified to conduct such examination,
excavation, or gathering, subject to such rules and regulation as they may prescribe:
Provided, That the examinations, excavations, and gatherings are undertaken for the
benefit of reputable museums, universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific or
educational institutions, with a view to increasing the knowledge of such objects, and
that the gatherings shall be made for permanent preservation in public museums.
Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of the Departments aforesaid shall make and publish from
time to time uniform rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions
of this Act.
Approved, June 8, 1906
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