Jeff Rigby wrote:
".... When the english and dutch sought to colonize this country there
were many unclaimed lands."


Really? How come there is no mention of that in any land title documents?

Usually land grants were given by the king, who owned the land by right
of conquest or divine providence, depending... or the large land
grantees also posted ownership claims based on grants & purchases from
Indian tribes.



Floyd Davidson wrote:
So you are saying they ignored occupancy, but you insist that it
should have been mentioned if it happened? That isn't logical.


Not at all. I'm saying that nobody claimed land based on lack of
occupancy, which is what Jeff said happened.


If you know of any land titles originated by a European settler arriving
in North America, and stating "There was nobody here, so it's my land
now," I'd be interested to see it.


Ahem, try taking a look at the history of the Mayflower's
landing at Plymonth Rock. And keep in mind that that was 200
years *after* de Soto depopulated what is now the eastern US.


There were definitely Indians living around the Plymouth colony. Who do
you think fed the Pilgrims thru the first winter?

That's not to say that they *weren't* affected by plagues brought by the
Europeans, because tehy definitely were. But the Pilgrims certainly
didn't move into uninhabited land, nor did they claim it because it was
empty of humans.


The European diseases were *still* making the rounds...


Yep. They were in Europe, too. Funny how we still have the same problem
today.



The only correction needed there is that of course it wasn't
pre-1700 and it wasn't the Spanish. But the Native populations
of Alaska suffered just about the exact same depopulation that
happened elsewhere. Due to the remote access it happened later,
but by about 1900 it was in full fury, and lasted well into the
life times of living people.
...(snip for brevity)...


I wonder if the plagues in the far north were made worse by climate &
diet, too.




You mean the Indians? It's a bit late to defend them, although they may
end up buying the country back with casino proceeds.


How about if they just forclose on the mortgage for non-payment,
and take all their land back.


Hmm, did we take out an interest-only ARM on the place? Well, they'll be
pleased with my yard, I've been letting it go back to Nature for years.

DSK