You mark it, and it’s yours.
Which is why Kentucky lands became such a nightmare of overlapping claims, provoking endless court battles. Daniel Boone ended up spending more time in court than he did at home and in the end lost everything, prompting him to move to the Spanish territories in Missouri.
Same with Simon Kenton. Most historians, though, don’t doubt the honesty of either man in regard to what he did or didn’t claim.
The Cabin Rights were less disputable.