Work of The Court
The court heard over three hundred cases involving over thirty-six million acres (150,000 km²) of land. Only eighty-seven land grants were confirmed, for a total of three million acres (12,000 km²), or less than 10%. Many confirmed grants were reduced in size from that claimed. For example, the Cañon de Chama Grant was reduced from 200,000 to 1,500 acres (800 to 6 km²).
Among the many problems facing the court were the old Spanish system of metes and bounds. Century or two old landmarks were hard to find. The length of a vara (Spanish yard) might vary depending on the date of the grant. A grant might be to the faldas (Spanish skirt) of the mountains, which could be anywhere from the edge of the foothills to timberline.
Read more about this topic: United States Court Of Private Land Claims
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