The Public Domain Commission was created by Public Act 280 of 1909. Its members included the Auditor General, the Commissioner of the State Land Office, the Secretary of State, and three governor appointees: one from the State Board of Agriculture, one from the Regents of the University of Michigan, and one from the Board of Control of the College of Mines at Houghton. The Commission had power and jurisdiction over public lands, forest reserves, and all the interests of the state in connection with stream protection and control, forest fire protection and all matters within the jurisdiction of the Michigan Forestry Commission. Through the work of the Commission, state lands were withdrawn from market and set aside as forest reserves for Michigan. In 1920, the Michigan Department of Conservation, which was created by Public Act 17 of 1921, assumed the duties of the Commission. The Michigan Department of Conservation was renamed the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 1968.
From the description of Proceedings of the Public Domain Commission, 1909-1921. (State Archive of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 53244271
