September 27, 1850

Donation Land Claim Act Passed

Ever play Oregon Trail? (If not, go do it. Right now. This a ’90s nostalgia moment that is way better than Tamagotchis or Hanson.)

This was the act that opened up the land of the Oregon Territory (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming) for settlers to stake a claim for free. It also set the stage for the Homestead Act(s) for the rest of the western territories.

Just don’t get dysentery, like so many of the poor pioneers on Oregon Trail.

1858

Homestead Act Finally Introduced to Congress

Andrew Johnson had tried during his Congressman days to get a similar bill introduced and finally got it on the table during his stint in the Senate. It was a no go, with a 30-22 vote against, thanks to Southern Democrats.

1859

Homestead Act Makes Headway

One vote. One measly vote from VP Breckinridge to break a tie sent the Homestead Act back to the drawing board.

1860

Homestead Act Passes Congress

Whoops. Democratic President James Buchanan vetoed that one right off the bat. Southern Democrats liked to give land to wealthy, slave-owning plantation owners. None of this egalitarian land ownership stuff. Try again later.

December 20, 1860/ February 1, 1861

Southern Secession, or The Confederacy is Born

Seven Southern states said sayonara. (Say that five times fast.) The remaining four joined within three months. With the withdrawal of a bulk of the Democratic establishment in Congress, the floor was cleared for Republicans to pursue their Jeffersonian ideals of yeoman farmers, try to clean up the dirty, over-crowded cities…and you know, prevent the Confederacy from taking over the land.

May 20, 1862

President Lincoln Signs the Homestead Act of 1862 into Law

Starting on January of 1863, anyone twenty-one years old or who was head of their household could claim up to 160 acres. We’re talking men, women, freed slaves, immigrants: you name it. While the cat was away, the mice most definitely played. And made laws that would have had Southern Democrats have spontaneous heart attacks at their inclusive policies.

January 1, 1863

Daniel Freeman Stakes His Claim

Daniel Freeman (read all about him in Key Player Analysis) filed the first claim under the Homestead Act in Nebraska on the first day the law was in effect. Eager, much?

April 9, 1865

Lee Surrenders at Appomattox

Basically, the Civil War ended. Now it was time for all that messy clean up known as Reconstruction. Lots of people were ineligible for the Homestead Act after bearing arms against the Union, so something had to give.

June 21, 1866

Southern Homestead Act of 1866

An excellent example of A+ for Effort, the Southern Homestead Act tried to help out poor farmers and sharecroppers in the South after the end of the war.

Things were just too grim for many people to be able to buy land, even under the low prices. The first six months of the law allowed only whites loyal to the Union and free Blacks to own land, but in a twist you’d never see coming, Southern governments kind of…didn’t tell certain demographics about their new rights. Must have slipped their minds?

February 8, 1871

Dawes Act

So those Native Americans who were in the way of homesteaders? Yeah, apparently the U.S. just decided they weren’t actually there.

The Dawes Act deliberately stated Congress would not recognize any tribes or nations as political entities, therefore eliminating any future treaties and promises. In other words, Congress cleared the way for settlers to take those lands. Sure, it was supposed to be a way for Native Americans to privately become citizens of the U.S., but there’s always another motive.

March 3, 1873

Timber Culture Act of 1873

They were environmentally conscientious way back when, too. Okay, they actually just wanted access to more lumber, but it was a sweet deal to basically double a claim just by planting forty acres of trees over the course of a few years.

February 8, 1887

The General Allotment Act, a.k.a. the Dawes Severalty Act

All that tribal land owned by everyone in the tribe nice and peaceful like? Yeah, the president (President Cleveland) now had the power to chop it up and give it to individuals.

If they accepted, thereby pretty much destroying the tribal system, they got American citizenship. Again, it was aimed at helping Native Americans rise above the poverty level, but only through becoming more like white Americans and giving up their traditional ways of living.

April 28, 1904

Kinkaid Act of 1904

Apparently, the government can be taught. Land was so poor in Nebraska that the 160 acres in a homestead didn’t provide enough for a family to sustain itself. The amendment expanded claims in parts of the state to up to 640 acres, which could be applied to existing claims, too.

February 19, 1909

Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909

Springing directly off the Kinkaid Act, the government declared open season on larger claims across the board. They figured since all the juicy land was already taken, it was time for bargain bin pricing for the rest of it.

Yep, that worked so well. Just take a look at The Grapes of Wrath and the 1930s Dust Bowl. No, definitely no cause and effect there.

December 29, 1916

Stock-Raising Homestead Act of 1916

Hey, what about all the cows? Can’t have the West without cows and cowboys…and if 160 acres wasn’t enough for people, you can bet it wasn’t enough for raising stock. This act opened up 640 acres per claim if you were a rancher.

August 23, 1933

Subsistence Homesteads Division is Formed

The New Deal formed an agency that took poor folks from the city, usually with at least a part-time job between the family members, and stuck them into tiny tracks of land that, in theory, could grow enough to supplement their income.

It didn’t work quite as well as it should have on paper, given the era’s snobbery against farmers and working the land.

October 21, 1976

Federal Land Policy and Management Act

The frontier was pretty much gone by this point, plus the government decided it actually wanted to keep the rest of the land it owned. Claims in Alaska were extended for ten years, but the Lower 48 were closed to new homesteads.

It was time to focus more on the final frontier. Who wants a homestead on the Moon?

May 1988

Last Homestead Certificate Given

Ken Deardorff’s Alaskan claim from 1974 was finally processed in 1988, ending the era of the homestead. (Go read his Key Player Analysis.)