After the Homestead Act, how did early settlers stake out their land?

After the Homestead Act, how did early settlers stake out their land? Donald Wade Sun City, Arizona Before barbed wire, the cattle grazed on open ranges, which large ranchers often claimed as their own—even without a legal basis. Those land barons eventually filed claims with government land offices (after surveying). In some cases, parts of the claim were denied, with land being granted to other settlers. But in the meantime, only men with bark could protect their lands from interloper