Homestead Act

Law

43 U.S.C. § 161 et seq.  | (1862)

provided 160 acres of public land free of charge (except for a small filing fee) to anyone who was either 21 years of age or head of a family, who was a citizen or person who had filed for citizenship, and who had lived on and cultivated the land for at least five years. By the turn of the century, more than 80 million acres had been claimed by homesteaders.