Oh, The Homestead

The American West was built on the Homestead Act of 1862, President Lincoln's plan to encourage development of western lands. It provided 160-acre homesteads for both men, single women and female “head of households” provided they “proved up” the land by adding a home and improvements and lived on the property at least seven months a year for five years. Two million people sought patents on land through the Homestead Act, which ran from 1862 to 1976. Historians note the cherished Homeste