The Sharpe family has lived on 160 acres 45 miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada, for generations. But they are being told by the Bureau of Land Management that they don't own the land.

The property was deeded to Louie Sharpe in the mid 1940s under a federal law. Descendants of Chief Tecopah of the Southern Paiutes, the family has paid county taxes on the land, which is not held in trust.

With development cropping up nearby, the family wants to sell a portion. But the BLM says Sharpe failed to get the original transfer notarized, meaning the government claims ownership.

Sharpe's descendants want money to improve the property. Family members are living in makeshift homes without stoves, refrigerators or air-conditioning.

Get the Story:
A Big Bump on the Road to Riches (The New York Times 2/22)
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No Man's Land - Part 2 (KLAS-TV 2/8)
No Man's Land (KLAS-TV 2/7)