re: Does Anyone Have Any Unique Stories About Land Disputes?

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Read up on the land grants in Taos, New Mexico. I have some family out there, and have heard some off-hand accounts of what's going on. 10-cent recap: in the 1700's, the King of Spain gave land grants in current-day north New Mexico to prominent Spanish soldiers and elites. These land grants were supposed to last forever. Over the years, some of the soldiers/elite's ancestors have sold the land. Current-day ancestors who can trace their lineage back to the original grantees are claiming that the land still belongs to them, as the earlier ancestors had no legal basis to sell the land in the first place (King's decree lasting in perpetuity). In some cases, these grants have been subdivided into hundreds of individual properties - they want all of them. I do not believe they have been successful in any of their claims

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This is some fascinating stuff. I can't imagine the Spanish aristocrats having any footing since the land was sold under the jurisdiction of another nation that didn't recognize the legitimacy of the permanent grants. Possession is 9/10th and all that...