10 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of land, typically called a "homestead.” In all, more than 270 million acres of public land, or nearly 10% of the total area of the U.S., was given away free to 1.6 million homesteaders; most of the homesteads were west of the Mississippi River. An extension of the Homestead Principle in law, the Homestead Acts were an expression of the "Free Soil" policy of Northerners who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to Southern slave- owners who wanted to buy up large tracts of land and use slave labor. The first of the acts, the Homestead Act of 1862, opened up millions of acres. Any adult U.S. citizen who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed government land. Women, people of color, and immigrants who had applied for citizenship were eligible. For the next five years, the homesteader had to live on the land and improve it by building a 12-by-14 dwelling and growing crops. After five years, the homesteader could file for his or her patent (or deed of title) by submitting proof of residency and the required improvements to a local land office. Local land offices forwarded the paperwork to the General Land Office in Washington D.C., along with a final certificate of eligibility. The case file was examined, and valid claims were granted patent to the land free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Title could also be acquired after a six-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they served from the residency requirements. Physical conditions on the frontier presented great challenges. Wind, blizzards, and plagues of insects threatened crops. Open plains meant few trees for building, forcing many to build homes out of sod. Limited fuel and water supplies could turn simple cooking and heating chores into difficult trials. Ironically, even the smaller size of sections took its own toll. While 160 acres may have been sufficient for an eastern farmer, it was simply not enough to sustain agriculture on the dry plains, and scarce natural vegetation made raising livestock on the prairie difficult. As a result, in many areas, the original homesteader did not stay on the land long enough to fulfill the claim. Homesteaders who persevered were rewarded with opportunities as rapid changes in transportation eased some of the hardships. Six months after the Homestead Act was passed, the Railroad Act was signed, and by May 1869, a transcontinental railroad stretched across the frontier. The new railroads provided easy transportation for homesteaders, and new immigrants were lured westward by railroad companies eager to sell off excess land at inflated prices. The new rail lines provided ready access to manufactured goods and catalogs like Montgomery Ward offered farm tools, barbed wire, linens, weapons, and even houses delivered via the rails. ABOUT THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 Norwegian settlers in 1898 North Dakota in front of their homestead, a sod hut (edited from Archives.gov and Wikipedia.org) The characters of Flyin’ West were able to secure their own land because of the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered land to U.S. citizens, including unmarried women, immigrants, and people of color.