Comment by mothballed
1 day ago
The government made it literally the only way to claim much of the land out west[]. They require that you come up with an agricultural land including plan for watering crops on that acreage in order to claim the land. And you're required to execute the plan to get the deed.
In fact, this is the only remaining way I know of to more or less 'homestead' federal land in a way that results in a permanent deed. The rest of the homesteading type stuff was revoked back in like the 70s or 80s.
Is this relevant in 2026? Are people still claiming land via the 1877 Desert Land Act?
Yet it's still active. As a pure anecdote, I know of someone doing it right now.
https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/Desert%20Land%20Entr...
Is this an opportunity that opened up with this administration? Or has the BLM been quietly processing these for the last century?
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Do you think laws go away just because they're old?
The Colorado River compact came into effect in 1922 and I'm almost surprised literal fist fights haven't erupted over it during the modern negotiations.
I think laws become less relevant over time for many reasons. There are entire books written about silly and obsolete laws, e.g.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trenton_Pickle_Ordinance_a...
The age of a law or regulation is likely a strong indicator for its relevance in modern times, especially if it’s regarding something quite niche.
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