Patents

In a Petition to the Register and Receiver of the United States Land Office at Florence, Arizona on February 1, 1876 submitted by Antonio on February 1, 1876 "shows that twenty years next preceding the 5th day of February, A.D. 1875, he has by himself, his ancestors and grantors, held possession of the following described tract or lot of land, to wit:

Lot No 13, Section 11, Township 14 South Range 13 East ...."⁴⁵

Twenty one years later, on June 8, 1897, during the presidency of William McKinley, the General Land Office issued a Patent⁴⁶ to Antonio on Lot 13.

By 1897, Antonio was already firmly established as a homesteader, rancher, and farmer in the San Pedro River valley. Also by then, Lot 13 in the Cultivated Fields of Tucson had been assigned to Ochoa and Sidney DeLong, and the patent was delivered to them.

The migratory pattern followed by Antonio had taken him from his birthplace at Tubac to Tucson, thence to Rillito and Tanque Verde, finally over the Catalina Mountains to the San Pedro River valley, where he filed a claim for Public Lands under the Homestead Act of May 20, 1862.

Declaratory Statement DS #748 for 160 acres was filed on September 5, 1880 at Florence, Arizona Territory by Antonio for land described as Section 32, Township 12 South Range 19 East, Gila & Salt River Base & Meridian.

The application was subsequently cancelled on May 16, 1885 when Antonio relinquished his claim. It had been discovered by the General Land Office that Nabor Pacheco had previously filed Pre-Emption Cash Entry #224 for the same land. Nabor's Entry #224 having a prior right, was approved upon the relinquishment of Antonio's DS #748.⁴⁷

Antonio next filed on January 17, 1888, Homestead Application HD #934 for 160 acres situated at Section 30, Township 12 South Range 19 East, G & SR B & M.⁴⁸ On January 13, 1891, President Benjamin Harrison signed and Antonio received a Patent for 160 acres, for the land embraced by:

E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 30 in Township 12 South Range 19 East of G & SR, B & M, A.T.⁴⁹

Between Antonio's applications DS #748 and HD #934, his brother Juan Soza had filed Pre-Emption DS #123 on August 29, 1882 for 160 acres described as:

NW 1/4 of Section 32, Township 12 South, Range 19 East of the G & SR, B & M.⁵⁰

This entry was later converted to Cash Entry CE #218, with Juan paying Four Hundred Dollars or $2.50 per acre. Patent #218 was approved April 18, 1884, signed May 31, 1884 by President Chester A. Arthur, and was delivered to Antonio Campa Soza.⁵¹

As a result of Hd #934 (160 acres) and Juan's CE #218 (160 acres) Antonio was enroute toward establishing himself as an important rancher, cattleman and farmer in the San Pedro River valley.

Eventually, at least a dozen family members, would utilize the Homestead Act of 1862 and other Public Land Laws to settle, develop and populate the San Pedro River valley.⁵²

Continue with: Marriages