HOMESTEAD Survivor

The purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862 was to make it possible for settlers with few resources but a strong work ethic to claim land in the West. Almost every adult today knows about the Homestead Act but most have no understanding of its basic components.

The law granted 160 acres of land to any citizen who was 21 years old or head of a household willing to settle on it and farm the land. A three-step procedure required homesteaders to file an application, improve the land and file for a patent (deed). The occupant had to reside on the land for five years and show evidence of having made improvements, and the process had to be complete within seven years.

Between 1862 and 1934, the federal government granted 1.6 million homesteads and distributed 270 million acres (420,000 square miles), much of it previously inhabited by Native American nations, to private ownership. A surprisingly high