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Problems began. it s not like they weren t warned. my dad bought it knowing that there was a problem down there. but he had worked with the federal agencies in the previous ranch in california and got along with them. and he thought, well, you know, i can work with these folks. come to find out you can t get along with somebody when they re actually trying to take your property. why would the government do that? the hages say the feds were trying to strip their rights in order to take control of the land. partly for environmental reasons and the water which in a desert state is like gold. in fact, many western ranchers feel the government would like to end their way of life completely. no sooner had the hage family settled in and the government offered to buy the ranch. hage declined so the government filed a claim for his water rights. wayne sr. wasn t having it. if the government wanted a fight, a fight is what it would get. he contested that claim starting a battle that would co ....
7,000 acres. the purchase also included exclusive access to more than 700,000 acres of adjoining land administered by the federal government, so-called open range. wayne took a couple of days to show us around. do you really need that much property? yes in this country it takes 320 acres to raise one cow for one year. now, they couldn t afford to purchase three quarters of a million acres, so instead they paid for their private piece of property and at the same time brought water and grazing. that s the way it s been done out here since the 1860s. these rights have been handed down through purchase or will for more than 100 years. and the reason place like pine creek is economically viable. however, that extra land is public property managed by the forest service and the blm. that s where they say the ....