Otero Spanish Land Grant - Exhibit in Private Land Claims Case Files, 1798
This document represents the oldest record in our holdings. Dated 1798, it was filed as an exhibit in a land claim case relating to the Otero Spanish Land Grant, heard by the Surveyor General of Arizona.
Don Toribio de Otero received the first permanent land grant from the King of Spain in what is now Arizona and New Mexico. This grant was executed in 1789, and the parcel of land, held by the Otero family for nearly 150 years, is located in the area of Tubac, AZ. This land grant is contained in the series Private Land Claims Case Files, 1870–1908. These cases heard by the Surveyor General of Arizona document the manner in which the Spanish government parceled out lands in the current-day states of Arizona and New Mexico in the late 1700s and early 1800s and the proof the land owners were required to submit to substantiate their legal claims to their land.
Our office holds other records relating to Spanish Land Grants created by the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims, the Surveyor General of Arizona, the United States District Court in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Land Office, and the Forest Service. Additional records relating to Spanish Land Grants are maintained by The National Archives in Washington, DC, The National Archives at College Park, MD, and The National Archives at San Francisco.
Otero Spanish Land Grant - Exhibit in Private Land Claims Case Files, dated 1798. National Archives Identifier: 348095731.
You can explore more records held in the National Archives at Riverside by searching the National Archives Catalog or by visiting our research room in person. We encourage researchers to contact us to learn more about our holdings or to schedule an appointment.