FLYIN’ WEST BACKSTAGE GUIDE 11 Thousands of women took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 that offered free land in the American Great Plains. Women who were single, widowed, divorced, or deserted were eligible to acquire 160 acres of federal land in their own name. The law discriminated against women who were married. A married woman was not allowed to take land in her own name unless she was considered the head of the household. The majority of homesteading women were young, single, and interested in adventure and the possibility of economic gain. Homesteading provided widows with an economic opportunity often denied them elsewhere. Many had children to support. Even the elderly women took part in this venture. A woman named Anna Hensel was sixty-seven when she immigrated to the United States from Bessarabia in southern Russia. A year later, in 1903, she declared her intent to become a citizen and applied for a homestead in Hettinger County, North Dakota. Women from almost all ethnic groups took advantage of homesteading opportunities. An extensive but not all-inclusive list would include Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Finns, Dutch, Icelanders, Germans, Bohemians, Poles, Ukrainians, Lebanese, Irish, English, Scottish, Italian, African-Americans, and Jewish Americans. Women who took homesteads tended to work outside of the farm as well. Many of them pursued careers as teachers, nurses, seamstresses, and domestic workers, but a few followed less traditional paths such as journalism or photography. Many eventually married, but some remained single. Those who achieved economic success used their resources in a variety of ways. Some stayed on their homestead and accumulated additional land. Others sold their holdings and invested elsewhere. In some cases homesteaders rented out the land and used the proceeds for personal or family needs. In many ways, women who homesteaded resemble contemporary women. Their schedules were demanding, requiring flexibility, ingenuity, and endurance. Most would be considered community movers and shakers, as their initiatives were instrumental in building schools, churches, and other community institutions. The homesteading period of history usually brings to mind stories of blizzards, prairie fires, and other catastrophic events. Yet tragedy is but one dimension of human life. To dwell on that aspect is to distort reality. In spite of their heavy demands, many homesteaders found time to devote to music, art, literature, and even poetry. A sense of humor was important in shaping their outlook on life. Women as well as men were proficient in violin, piano, organ, and other instruments. One homesteader, Anna Zimmerman told of playing for dances with her brother. They both played accordion, violin, and guitar. Anna often played the harmonica and danced at the same time. Homesteading was more than tears and suffering. Women who homesteaded do not fit the old descriptions that characterized them as secondary "helpmates" or reluctant pioneers. Rather, they, along with men, were main characters in the settlement drama. ABOUT FEMALE HOMESTEADERS The Chrisman sisters—all four of whom filed homestead claims—outside their Nebraska house in 1886. (edited from PlainsHumanities.unl.edu)