Page 277 - Family History

Internet Information and Links

160 Acres

On occasion, while researching different family members, I have run across

something that indicates that someone homesteaded something. I have found
references to homesteading on both sides of the family. Because of this, I
thought it would be of value to add a short history of the Homestead Act
courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Homestead Act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an
applicant freehold title to up to 160 acres (65 hectares or one-fourth section) of
undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River. The law required three
steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. Anyone who
had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves,
could file an application to claim a federal land grant. The occupant also had to be
21 or older, had to live on the land for five years and show evidence of having
made improvements. The original Homestead Act was signed into law by

President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862.

Because much of the prime low-lying alluvial land along rivers had been

homesteaded by the turn of the twentieth century, a major update called the
Enlarged Homestead Act was passed in 1909. It targeted land suitable for dryland
farming, increasing the number of acres to 320. In 1916, the Stock-Raising
Homestead Act targeted settlers seeking 640 acres (260 ha) of public land for
ranching purposes.

Only about 40 percent of the applicants who started the process were able to
complete it and obtain title to their homestead land. Eventually 1.6 million
homesteads were granted and 270,000,000 acres (420,000 sq mi) of federal land

were privatized between 1862 and 1934, a total of 10% of all lands in the United
States. Homesteading was discontinued in 1976, except in Alaska, where it
continued until 1986.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Act

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