Q: How do I find My Land Left to me by my father I'm a Alaska native
A: Most real estate attorneys and all title companies can do a search for land in your father's name or in your name (if already transferred). If the land is still in your father's name, you need a probate attorney to help you get it retitled.
A: Do you have the deed by which the land was conveyed? It will show a "legal description." There are a number of mapping programs by which you can then locate the land on the map. Any land described by "plat" can be located (on paper) through the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office (Search by plat within the applicable "District"). Land described by Public Land Survey System (e.g. section, township, range, meridian) can be plotted on the applicable USGS Quadrangle Map and/or (in remote Alaska) through U.S. Bureau of Land Management mapping. Alternatively, if the land is a Native Allotment, contact U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs for location assistance. If you know the latitude and longitude you can pinpoint the location on Google Earth. Finally, if the description is by metes and bounds your best bet is to find a surveyor who can draw the boundaries for you. Some smaller parcels in the villages have never been properly identified in State Recordings. Those are best identified by working backward from your father's living relatives and friends.
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