Homestead Act of 1862
160 Acres of Land
The Homestead Act allows you to get 160 acres of land for $18.00. You may have to bring your own seeds to plant crops on the land. You have six months to build a home on the land. After farming the land for five years, the land will belong to you. Abraham Lincoln has signed this act.
Signing the Act
Abraham Lincoln is signing the Homestead Act of 1862.
Farmland
You can create a large farm on your 160 acres of land and grow many crops.
Immigrants
The Homestead Act is bringing immigrants to the Midwest.
Adjusting to Life as a Homesteader
The climate in the Midwest is very rough. There are a lot of tornadoes, heavy rain, droughts, hail storms, and blizzards. Homesteaders are learning to dry farm, make provisions, build homes out of sod, irrigate, and plant Russian wheat.