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MacDonald Family and the US Army at White Sands
Vanity

Posted on 04/21/2014 9:40:09 AM PDT by Portcall24

This story of the MacDonald family fight against taking their ranch has similarities to Bundy


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Government; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: blm; fedmob
The BLM attempt to take Bundy’s property is similar to what happened in New Mexico at White Sands Missile Range. The following is from a oral history program conducted by New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum:

“Ranchers understood the need for use of their land during wartime, but they feared losing their livelihood; compensation was too low to allow them to start over elsewhere. Cattle prices dropped. The families did not receive funds for lodging or food during the move but funds for restoration were offered when the ranchers were allowed to go back, and during a co-use in the 1950s.

While Dave McDonald still had to vacate by the deadline, some who accepted the Army's offer may have left sooner; some left later—all were scrambling. Ranchers left equipment behind, believing it would be there when they returned, but things were stolen by locals or allowed to deteriorate.

Co-use lasted two years, although ranchers in the extension area had permanent co-use.

The taking was in constant court battles from its beginning, and in the '70s, the government announced the ranches would not be returned. Even after his father's 1982 standoff, nothing was done. Dave McDonald and his niece, Mary, had staged a widely reported armed reoccupation of the ranch to call attention to the ranchers' plight. Government officials promised to do something for the ranchers.

Fulwyler was commanding general of WSMR during the taking of the lands and McDonald's reoccupation.

Lawyers were hired to represent the ranchers in the Court of Claims, but nothing happened.

Fulwyler told McDonald that if he returned to the missile range, he'd be arrested. He refused an invitation from Fulwyler but later returned with the consultant.

The McDonalds got only about $60,000 for their patented land. Later, the McDonald ranch was appraised at $1.6 million. [Historically, grazing leases on ranches in New Mexico are considered ranch assets.] Ranchers whose land was taken for McGregor Range were treated differently. Consultant believes the government did not originally intend to keep the WSMR ranches.

The ranchers were devastated by the taking of the ranches—they lost trust in the government and children and siblings in the war, in addition to their homes. The consultant's father believed concerns over inadequate compensation would die with the ranchers. The taking affected people both physically and emotionally and may have caused early deaths. It affected the consultant's and his sister's quality of life as children.”

Here’s the link to the entire interview:

US Army and MacDonald Family at White Sands Missile Range

1 posted on 04/21/2014 9:40:09 AM PDT by Portcall24
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To: CedarDave; LegendHasIt; leapfrog0202; Santa Fe_Conservative; DesertDreamer; OneWingedShark; ...

New Mexico PING!!


2 posted on 04/21/2014 9:56:11 AM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: Portcall24
widely reported armed reoccupation of the ranch to call attention to the ranchers' plight . . . McDonald [was told by the government] that if he returned to [his land] he'd be arrested . . . McDonalds got only about $60,000 . . . ranch was appraised at $1.6 million . . . [the] taking affected people both physically and emotionally

Not as much money involved but add to the problems the death of the husband and you got the McGuckin family vs. the government.

Hope you don't mind if I add one more example of what appears to be government in a hurry to take property

McGuckin family of Sandpoint, Idaho

May 30, 2001; SANDPOINT, Idaho –– Six children, believed to be armed, refused to leave their rural home and instead released a pack of [27] dogs on sheriff's deputies who had arrested their mother, authorities said.

"Deputies lured [the mother and widow, the husband died just before this] Joann McGuckin from the house Tuesday with grocery money. She was taken into custody after going to a store with a deputy who had brought the cash. Deputies returned to the home to get the children and put them in state custody, but one of the boys ran to the house and yelled, 'Get the guns,' the sheriff said. He said the children then let the dogs out of the basement . . . Neighborhood resident Lloyd Wyatt, 84, said . . . he wasn't surprised [the children] were holed up in the house. 'We are a breed of people who say, 'This is our home and we are entitled to protect it,'' Wyatt said."

"Why did Bonner County choose to deed to the county 40 acres with a quarter mile of private lake frontage to pay off $5,487 worth of taxes?" McGuckin asked, in a April 2000 letter to the county treasurer's office.

Good question IMO but at the time many condemned the family. Who wanted those "40 acres with a quarter mile of private lake frontage"?

3 posted on 04/21/2014 10:16:51 AM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: Portcall24

Government thieves.


4 posted on 04/21/2014 11:20:32 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

Stop being redundant.


5 posted on 04/21/2014 11:31:00 AM PDT by Delta 21 (Its my freedom. YES. I will be keeping it.)
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To: Kartographer

* The EPA assigns one million acres to previous owners in Wyoming.

* The BLM Rustles cattle in Nevada.

* Now the USFS Rustles Cattle in New Mexico.

What will Speaker Boehner do now to punish these lawless Federal Bureaus?

BTW, have y’all noticed that Obama is very effectively using these lawless events by his Bureaus to distract from the NSA, Benghazi, IRS and Obamacare Scandals?

_________________________

Is the modern day equivalent of the KKK the Bureau of Feudal Land Management, (BFLM) ?

If so, then Feudal Lord Reid would then be “The Grand Dragon of the BFLM.”

Feudal Lord Reid’s Rustlers are hired guns, who are furious but not fast, which also applies to their multimillionaire Leader: Feudal Lord Reid.

With the past Democrat-based KKK, and now the present Democrat-controlled BFLM, ethics be damned, as abject fear is the main goal of both of these Medieval Outlaw Gangs, past and present.

“Ethics” will be justified later by Liberals who will write the ‘revised” PC History of these times, past and present; of powerful men with outlaw hatred toward free people in America, Black or White, poor or rich.

The Jackboot Heel of Democat Tyranny is now upon us, AGAIN !

FORWARD!


6 posted on 04/21/2014 11:33:55 AM PDT by Graewoulf (Democrats' Obamacare Socialist Health Insur. Tax violates U.S. Constitution AND Anti-Trust Law.)
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To: Portcall24

Wow....the government takes people land all over. When Quabbin Reservoir was created 4 towns were evicted by the city of Boston.


7 posted on 04/21/2014 12:59:50 PM PDT by ExCTCitizen (I'm ExCTCitizen and I approve this reply. If it does offend Libs, I'm NOT sorry...)
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