The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands is Wisconsin's oldest state agency. The board is comprised of the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. BCPL still owns and manages ~74,000 acres of Trust Lands (maps) out of ~10 million acres originally granted to Wisconsin by the federal government (primarily during the 1800s). We also contribute to Wisconsin's sustainable timber economy (over half of the remaining acreage is managed for timber production) and provide public access to large blocks of northern forests.
BCPL administers the State Trust Fund Loan Program which generates investment income to provide the primary source of public school library aid and provides loans to municipalities and school districts for public purpose projects.
BCPL maintains an extensive archive of land records:
