Part 3/10:
By the 1940s, many lands originally owned by the railroad had been sold off, including areas within the Crazy Mountains designated as a national forest. This checkerboard ownership complicated public access, particularly when private landowners began to obstruct existing trails. One of the most notorious cases involved a rancher, Paul L. Van Cleave, who started blocking a vital road through his property. This led the U.S. government to sue him in 1948, arguing for the public's right to access established routes.