Land Records
1800s
The Bureau of Land Management's earliest records of a sale in the area are upriver from the Reservation near present-day Saddle, Arkansas. James Hall purchased 40 acres along the South Fork River on August 16, 1838.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, a man by the name of John Henry was the first to buy land on the site of present-day Kia Kima Scout Reservation. On July 1, 1859 he purchased 80 acres in the general area of the entrance to the Reservation. On June 25, 1872 he purchased 120 more acres around the northern portion of Camp Osage. Based on BLM records, Henry purchased a lot of land in this area of Arkansas. It is unclear whether he ever actually lived in the area.
An early family living and farming near the present-day Camp Osage was the Burns family. John W. Burns was an early farmer in the area, having been born in 1812 in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He moved to Madison County, Alabama, then Itawamba, Mississippi, before arriving in Fulton County, Arkansas. The 1860 Federal Census lists the Burns household as having 11 members: John W. Burns (age 43), Mary Burns (44), Elender Griggs (36), William Burns (23), George Burns (18), James Burns (16), Sarah Burns (14), John Burns (12), Henry Burns (9), Mary Burns (7), and Joseph Burns (6). Comparing with earlier censuses, there are inconsistencies on some of the ages. John Burns died sometime in the 1860s. He and several members of the family are buried in an unmarked cemetery just off the Reservation. For more information, see Burns Cemetery.
In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which established that any US citizen could file an application to settle on public land. Once they had settled and improved the land for five continuous years, they could file for the deed. From there the records begin to show some more settlement in the area.
In the winter of 1890, Richard and Kelly Hill built a frame two-room house near present-day Camp Osage. Kelly was 19 years old at the time. They cultivated 11 crops on 16 acres, and they also built a log smokehouse, a log barn, a chicken house, and two log tenant houses. Richard A. Hill died on August 10, 1894, and Kelly Hill then began to go by the name Kelly Flinn. On September 26, 1902, Kelly Flinn obtained ownership of 80 acres around the gate to the Reservation and entrance to Camp Osage through the Homestead Act of 1862. (1901 Kelly Flinn Homestead Land Entry Case File).
In 1893, John T. Hembrey built a house on what is presently called Mount Mesara. Originally from Indiana, Hembrey was twenty years old at the time. He established his permanent residence on the land in June 1894 with his wife and two children. At some point over the next several years, he also built a crib barn and a smokehouse. He cultivated approximately 17 acres for four crops and maintained a small orchard. On August 21, 1900, Hembrey received 120 acres on what is presently called Mount Mesara, including the area around the present-day Mesara Outpost and the Mesara Spring through the Homestead Act. (1899 John T Hembry Homestead Land Entry Case File).
1900s
On August 3, 1956, Marshall E. Hobgood purchased 80 acres from the Bureau of Land Management that was around where the bridge crosses the South Fork River. He had previously purchased land in 1955 from the BLM on the southwest side of John Cooper Lake and around the clearcut area northwest of Chapel. When the Cherokee Village Development Company gave the land to the Council, they referred to part of the area north of the river as the Hobgood Tract.
At some point, Judge Thomas William Mesara purchased a portion of the land, primarily as a retreat from his city life in Thayer, Missouri. There, Judge Mesara was a probate judge and practicing attorney.
By 1964, the future Reservation was owned by T.W. Mesara, Marshall Hobgood, and W.L. French.