I sold it.
The deadline for getting in the paperwork was July 31. I got the deed notarized on July 20 and mailed the next day.
The offer letter came this spring. Just before the covid-19 shutdown. Originally the deadline for taking the offer was May 8. The offer letter explains:
We are pleased to include you in the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, which is part of the Class Action Settlement Agreement often referred to as the Cobell Settlement. The intent of the Buy-Back Program is to consolidate highly fractionated tracts of Indian land, allowing for better utilization of the land for social, economic or cultural purposes benefitting the tribal community. Interests purchased under the Buy-Back Program will be transferred to the Tribe in trust.
I had fractionated interest in four tracts, or about 17 acres. This is pastureland. The offer letter proposed the following purchase amounts:
Tract #1 … $2.24
Tract #2 … $1.58
Tract #3 … $9.94
Tract #4 … $104. 35
That totals $118.11, though they throw in $75 for filling out the paperwork. Which is nice of them.
After the covid-19 shutdown the deadline was extended to July 31. So I made it. I think. I haven’t heard back yet. “Allow at least 60 calendars days for approval of the sale and processing of your payment,” says the letter.
The heirs to this land are multitudinous. “Fractionated,” that’s no joke. One of the tracts has 116 owners. The others 109, 29, and — this is not reasonable either but only seems so in contrast — 15!
My favorite part of the deal isn’t the money. It’s that I got the names of ancestors: Marie Kempton, Sarah A. Kempton, Bernard E. Kempton, and Bernice Kempton.
And aerial photos of the land, like this:
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