Resolving land claims took an average of 17 years and often required costly lawyers, translators, and surveyors. Extreme weather and a changing economy added to the financial strain on rancheros like José Rafael Gonzalez. His land grant was patented in 1867 after a 15-year claim process. During that period, severe drought killed more than 5,000 cattle, and Gonzalez sold the land two years later. Sketch Map of Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad. National Archives, Records of the Bureau of Land Management

To cover claim expenses, many Mexicans were forced to sell land to American settlers. Brothers Antonio and Faustino German filed their claim in 1852 for Rancho Juristac, also known as Rancho de la Brea. Nineteen years later, the rancho was patented to a group of Americans who had purchased the land after migrating during the California Gold Rush. Sketch map of Rancho Juristac. National Archives, Records of the Bureau of Land Management

María Antonia de la Guerra y Lataillade’s land grant was patented after a 27-year legal battle. To preserve her other land holdings, Lataillade sold this rancho to pay legal fees. Her strategy paid off. While few ranchos remain in the families of the original grantee, Lataillade’s descendants held her land for another 150 years. Sketch map of Rancho Cuyama (No. 2). National Archives, Records of the Bureau of Land Management