Can You Still Acquire Land in the US under the Homestead Act of 1862?

The Short Answer is “No”.But there is some fun info in the presentation

The Homestead Act of 1862• Went into effect on Jan 1, 1863• Gave a person/family 160 acres of land if they improved the land by:

a. building a houseb. farming at least 20 acresc. digging a well d. living on the property at least 6 months out of the year

• Over 270 million acres of US land in 30 states was given to people under this act

(National Park Service)

• About 40% of the claims were successful --Many found that 160 acres was not enough to subsist on the further they moved out west where the land was more harsh• 10-12% of the homesteaders were families headed by women

(Bureau of Land Management)

The National Homestead Monument• The first person to file a claim

under the Homestead Act was named Daniel Freeman

• The US National Park Service built a monument on the property after acquiring it from his family• This cabin is representative of

what Freeman lived in(National Park Service)

Photo courtesy of national park service, public domain

However some homesteader homes on the Great Plains looked like this:

The Homestead Act was Officially Repealed in 1976• However, an extension was granted to people in Alaska until 1986(National Park Service)

• The last claim filed to get a homestead was in Alaska in 1980

• Kenneth Deardorrf was the last person to receive land from the Homestead Act• He filed for 80 Acres in 1974 and after building a home and improving it was

given the land in 1988(Alaska)

So is there any way to get free land in the US today?• Many small towns and communities are offering free land to people

willing to build and settle in their communities

• They are hoping this will expand the tax base and help the local economy by bringing in more people who will both build businesses and buy products in other local businesses• But there is no land or property being given away by the US

government as it was under the Homestead Act(Kane)

References:• "Homesteading and the Homestead Act in Alaska." Homesteading &

The Homestead Act in Alaska. Alaska Public Lands and Information Centers, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.• Kane, Colleen. "7 Towns Where Land Is Free." CNBC. CNBC, 17 Nov.

2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.• "Top 10 Myths about the Homestead Act." Top 10 Myths about the

Homestead Act. N.p., 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.• United States. National Park Service. "Frequently Asked

Questions." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017