Tag Archives: Homestead Act

Local History

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Poster Encouraging Westward Migration

Huge changes took place in the American West during the 1800s. The pre-Revolution colonies were supposed to abide by the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which forbade them to move westward past a certain point (called the Proclamation Line) extending from Quebec to West Florida. Colonists resented the restriction and often didn’t obey it, and the Proclamation merely fueled growing aggravations between England and the colonies. Once the American Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase (1803) gave colonists both freedom and land, westward expansion began in earnest.

The new country’s own Preemption Act of 1841 allowed squatters on federal land (particularly in Kansas and Nebraska Territories) to buy 160 acres for $200, and then preserve their ownership of the land by making minimal improvements to it or residing on it for about 14 months. Heads of households, citizens or people intending to become naturalized, and single men, could take advantage of this Act. Eastern states tended to oppose the Act because they were afraid their populations would migrate and cause a labor shortage, but were placated when the government agreed to distribute some of the sales money. Later, the Homestead Act (1862) made property acquisition even easier. The Homestead Act allowed any adult citizen or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government, to claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. All a claimant had to do to attain ownership of the acreage was to improve the plot by building a home of some kind on it, and cultivate the land. After 5 years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee. The Act originated during the Civil War, and afterward, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements.

The ease of attaining land made westward expansion very attractive, and huge chunks of land were appropriated from Native Americans for use by white settlers. My next post will discuss the settlement of South Dakota, where the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians was located.

Proclamation Line of 1763

An Acceptable Dwelling Under the Homestead Act

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Hardships In the West

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Cattle On Farm Ruined by Grasshoppers in North Dakota, 1936, courtesy Library of Congress

People from the East did not always understand how dramatically different conditions were in the West. Without forests of trees, the wind blew unchecked across the plains. The land didn’t offer much in the way of building material–brick or wood homes were impossible dreams for early settlers. Instead, they had to dig into the land itself to build sod homes.

After settling on the land, pioneers discovered that insects (like grasshoppers) could wipe out their crops when devastating numbers of them arrived to feed. Settlers faced blizzards that were made worse because of the emptiness of the land. There were few neighbors for social networking or even practical assistance. The worst thing settlers discovered, was that 160 acres in the West was not the same as 160 acres in the East. That amount of land wouldn’t support them in the dry conditions they faced in the West. Many of the early pioneers abandoned their land and returned home.

Plowing a Field, courtesy Colorado State University Archives

Plowing a Field, courtesy Colorado State University Archives

Pioneers Going West, courtesy Kansas Department of Transportation

Pioneers Going West, courtesy Kansas Department of Transportation

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The Next Push Westward

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Pioneers near Gates, Custer County, NE, 1886, courtesy Library of Congress

Pioneers near Gates, Custer County, NE, 1886, courtesy Library of Congress

Efforts by the government to distribute land at a price wasn’t as successful as it had hoped. (See last post) However, the government’s efforts to let people settle land and then pay for it were opposed by people in the East, who thought a huge number of workers would leave. Southerners were afraid that a large number of people in western territories would lead to the creation of free states , since they assumed most small farmers would oppose slavery.

After the South seceded, the government passed the Homestead Act in 1862. The law allowed a homesteader to file an application for a 160-acre plot of surveyed land, farm and improve it for five years, and then file for a deed of ownership. There were certain requirements within this framework that unscrupulous people tried to make a profit from (like whether the 12 X 14 house they had to build could be in inches, since the law didn’t specify).

What kept fraud down was the fact that free or not, land in the western territories was hard to conquer. My next post will describe some of the difficulties settlers faced.

Homesteaders at Strool, SD, 1909, courtesy Library of Congress

Homesteaders at Strool, SD, 1909, courtesy Library of Congress

Homesteaders in Custer County, NE, 1887, courtesy Library of Congress

Homesteaders in Custer County, NE, 1887, courtesy Library of Congress

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Settling the Old West

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Wagon Train Between Echo Head & Hanging Rock, 1867, courtesy Library of Congress

Wagon Train Between Echo Head & Hanging Rock, 1867, courtesy Library of Congress

Many popular myths and conceptions surround the settling of America’s Old West. The truth is that it was a long, difficult process–both to distribute land and to settle it. The federal government began to distribute land almost since the country was founded, but it wasn’t especially easy. At first, land was measured against landmarks. Boundaries could be a little fuzzy with this method, and the government eventually began to measure against astronomical points.

The government didn’t want to just give away land–they wanted to add to the new country’s treasury. Prior to 1800, the government sold 640-acre parcels of land for $1 an acre. Buyers had to purchase the whole plot, and $640 was a lot of money. After 1800, the purchase requirement was dropped to 320 acres–which was a little bit easier for settlers to clear and plant–and purchasers were allowed to pay in installments. The new price was $1.25 an acre, and was still steep for most would-be farmers.

After 1852, the government priced land based more on its  perceived value. Land that had been available and unsold for 30 years, for instance, was re-priced at 12.5 cents an acre. To 21st-century landowners, that price seems unbelievably cheap. However, clearing land without powerful machines was difficult and backbreaking, and it was hard for families to leave their communities and social networks to strike out on their own.

The government had to get creative to really get settlers willing to push westward, and my next posts will show the settlement process.

O.H. Gilman & Co. General Store, 1890, courtesy Library of Congress

O.H. Gilman & Co. General Store, 1890, courtesy Library of Congress

Sod House, SD, 1898, courtesy Library of Congress

Sod House, SD, 1898, courtesy Library of Congress

 

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