Tomahawk rights — also called tomahawk settlement, tomahawk claims, or cabin rights — were an informal process that was used by early white settlers of the Appalachian and Old Northwest (Ohio, Michigan, etc) frontiers in the mid-to-late 18th century to establish priority of ownership to newly-occupied land. The claimant typically girdled several trees near the head of a spring or other prominent site and blazed the bark of one or more of them with his initials or name.
Tomahawk rights — also called tomahawk settlement, tomahawk claims, or cabin rights — were an informal process that was used by early white settlers of the Appalachian and Old Northwest (Ohio, Michigan, etc) frontiers in the mid-to-late 18th century to establish priority of ownership to newly-occupied land. The claimant typically girdled several trees near the head of a spring or other prominent site and blazed the bark of one or more of them with his initials or name.
Source: Wikipedia "Tomahawk right" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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