Between 1803 and 1853 the US acquired almost 1 1/2 million square miles of land, most of it west of the Mississippi. It was obtained either through purchases, by wars and subsequent treaties, or stolen from Native Americans and Mexicans. Discussions of how to spur settlement in this mostly empty land stalled because of friction between pro and anti slavery factions in the federal government. It wasn’t until 1862, after the southern states had seceded, that President Abraham Lincoln could get enough votes to pass the Homestead Act.
The act provided 160 acres to any head of household who was at least 21 years old. A total filing fee of $18 was the only money required but the settler had to build a house and live and farm on the land for five years before it became theirs. 40% of the homesteaders were successful.
The visitor center has excellent exhibits about the Homestead Act; the lands settled; the American citizens, immigrants from many countries, and freed black slaves who participated; and all of the challenges the settlers faced. The monument is located on the land farmed by Daniel Freeman, a Union soldier and one of the first people to file a claim. The last person to file was Kenneth Deardorff, a Vietnam veteran, who settled in southwestern Alaska in 1974.
The museum is accessible but most of the small video screens are at an angle that makes them hard to see. The walkway to the homesteader’s cabin is paved. The loop trails around the property are cut through the grass and hilly so they are not accessible without assistance. The Freeman School, located 1 mile west, has accessible parking and a boardwalk to the edge of the property but no walkway to the school itself.
The visitor center has long RV/bus spaces. Monument 40.2851, -96.82595
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