Veterans Key in Homesteading America's Farms

A major milestone is approaching for the act that helped open the country to settlement by farmers and veterans. The Homestead Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20th, 1862 and is now approaching its 160-year anniversary.

"I think without the Homestead Act and without as many different people doing what they've done, this would be a very different country," said historian Johnathan Fairchild with the Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice, Nebraska. "The Homestead Act was in effect in 30 different states, basically from Florida and the southeast all the way to Alaska."

Fairchild says while it's often thought of in that sense, the Homestead Act was not just in the Great Plains or western United States. It took settlers all over the country.

Roughly 270 million acres, or 10% of U.S. land, was ultimately opened to be claimed and settled.

"That was an area about the size of California and Texas put together and so it is a huge part of our country's history," said Fairchild. "Homesteading ended in the lower 48 in 1976 while Alaska got a special 10-year extension."

Fairchild said from 1976-1986, Alaska was the last state that you could homestead.

Over the years, thousands of citizens including former slaves, immigrants and veterans became landowners through the Act.

"In fact, the very first and very last homesteaders were both veterans," said Fairchild.

Land titles could be bought from the government for just $1.25 an acre but they came with stipulations. A claim required you to stay on the land for five years build a home and farm it. History shows about 50% of homesteaders made it all five years.

 "Farmers were often dealing with locusts eating their crops, dealing with blizzards, dealing with prairie fires, and frankly, just dealing with the extreme loneliness of knowing that there just maybe a few homesteaders within several miles of you," said Fairchild. "So having to make it through the isolation and all of that made it very, very difficult for sure."

Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, and Colorado had the highest number of successful claims. Many veterans were homesteaders because they were able to receive extra benefits from the Act. Those added benefits also extended to the widows and children of veterans.

"You could get more land than you could if you didn't serve, you could get better quality land and you could take time from your military service and apply that to the five-year requirement to live on the land," explains Fairchild.

Civil War veteran Daniel Freeman was the first homesteader to file a claim.

"On January 1st, 1863, he actually met a land office agent at a New Year's Eve party and convinced them to open up the office and let him sign right at midnight as soon as the law took effect," said Fairchild.

Today, his home is the location of the Homestead National Historical Park where rangers help tell the homesteading story and assist some of the 93 million descendants of homesteaders living in America to learn more about their family history.

"So, there's a one in three or maybe one in four chance that you're tied to the homesteading story," said Fairchild.

A story that helped not just populate the country but also jump-start a revolution.

"It changed our country and turned America into an industrial superpower, in part because of turning us into the breadbasket of the world," said Fairchild.

For more information on a family's homesteading history or go to the Homestead National Historic Park's website.