land

In 1862, heirs sold Colorado’s Baca land for 30 cents an acre; 140 years later its 97,000-acre ranch sold for $31.28 million and helped create a national park nearly four times the monument’s original size

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In 1862, heirs sold Colorado’s Baca land for 30 cents an acre; 140 years later its 97,000-acre ranch sold for $31.28 million and helped create a national park nearly four times the monument’s original size

Photo: Baca Ranch House (clicked in 1920)Photo credit: Denver Public Library Collection via NPS A piece of land can begin as a forgotten investment and end as part of a national treasure. That is the remarkable story of Colorado’s Baca Ranch, a vast property at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In 1862, … Read more

In 1927, John D Rockefeller Jr secretly used a shell company to buy over 35,000 Wyoming acres for $1.4 million; NPS says acquiring the same amount of Jackson Hole land today would cost over $1 billion

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In 1927, John D Rockefeller Jr secretly used a shell company to buy over 35,000 Wyoming acres for $1.4 million; NPS says acquiring the same amount of Jackson Hole land today would cost over $1 billion

Rockefeller toured Jackson Hole in 1926. (Alamy stock photo) In the 1920s, Jackson Hole in Wyoming was changing quickly. Tourism was growing, development was spreading and wealthy visitors were arriving in the valley for an authentic cowboy experience. At the same time, local ranchers and businessmen were becoming concerned about the growing number of cabins, … Read more

In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula bought a barren piece of land in Hawaii; planting one sapling at a time, they transformed the wasteland into a 19-acre forest with more than 3,000 palms

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In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula bought a barren piece of land in Hawaii; planting one sapling at a time, they transformed the wasteland into a 19-acre forest with more than 3,000 palms

An acclaimed American poet laureate, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author, environmental activist and literary translator, W.S. Merwin held many titles throughout his life. But what he held even more closely was his love for nature. The poet who moved to Maui in the 1970s, to study Zen Buddhism ended up buying a barren parcel of land … Read more

In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America’s only national park dedicated to the performing arts

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In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America's only national park dedicated to the performing arts

Wolf Trap remains the only national park in the United States devoted to the performing arts, advancing the concept Shouse first put forth more than six decades ago Before it became a stage beneath the stars, Wolf Trap was simply a Virginia farm. But in the 1960s, one woman had a very different dream for … Read more

In 1951, a New Jersey couple bought 185-acres of land as a summer retreat after which an injured owl turned their property into a wildlife refuge

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In 1951, a New Jersey couple bought 185-acres of land as a summer retreat after which an injured owl turned their property into a wildlife refuge

Jim and Betty Woodford. Image Credit: Cedar Run Wildlife refuge In 1951, Jim and Betty Woodford bought 185 acres in what was then the largely undeveloped Medford Township, New Jersey, hoping to create a summer retreat. But the land became the foundation for a lifelong commitment to wildlife. According to the Cedar Run website, the … Read more

In the 1960s, the US began displacing around 600 families for a 40-mile reservoir; in 1975 the dam was shelved and their land became a 70,000-acre national park

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In the 1960s, the US began displacing around 600 families for a 40-mile reservoir; in 1975 the dam was shelved and their land became a 70,000-acre national park

Origin Story: The Tocks Island Dam Controversy The US government once planned to flood a 40-mile stretch of the Delaware River valley to build a massive reservoir, only to cancel the project and turn the acquired land into a sprawling federal parkland. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a 70,000-acre national park spanning Pennsylvania … Read more

In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

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In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

Charles and Willa Bruce on their wedding day (Left) and Margie Johnson and John Pettigrew in Manhattan Beach in 1927 (Right) A prime piece of Southern California oceanfront property taken from a Black couple through eminent domain a century ago was formally returned to their descendants and then sold back to Los Angeles County for … Read more

South Africa is mining lithium for the green-energy transition; prospecting rights now cover 73,000 hectares, 117 farms and land supporting 30,000 jobs

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South Africa is mining lithium for the green-energy transition; prospecting rights now cover 73,000 hectares, 117 farms and land supporting 30,000 jobs

Mining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines. On the southeast coast, where a lithium mine operates and more than … Read more

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; a year later the Park Service paid more than $46 an acre and bought the parcel for $7,400

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In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; a year later the Park Service paid more than $46 an acre and bought the parcel for $7,400

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; A long legal and property dispute between the US federal government and Utah businessman Dean Brimhall over commercial activities on protected land ended with a $400,000 buyout and the demolition of several private facilities near the park … Read more

James, 18, Earl of Wessex, passes A-levels, to study rural land management at Royal Agricultural University after working as a farmhand at King Charles’ Sandringham estate

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James, 18, Earl of Wessex, passes A-levels, to study rural land management at Royal Agricultural University after working as a farmhand at King Charles’ Sandringham estate

Prince Edward and Sophie’s son James is set to begin university this autumn after receiving his A-level results. James, the Earl of Wessex and son of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will study rural land and property management at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, this autumn.James was among hundreds of thousands of … Read more