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The Homesteading Legacy (24 Photos)
Homesteading Legacy Banners
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| HNM Image | | First Homesteader, Daniel Freeman Banner |
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The Homestead Act became the law of the land on January 1, 1863. it remained in effect until 1976, when the Federal Land Policy and Management Act repealed it (though a ten year extension through 1986 was authorized in Alaska).
Over the entire 124-year history of the Homestead Act, over 2 million people filed for 160-acre parcels of the public domain. Of these 2 million, about 783,000 (approximately 40 percent) were successful, fulfilling all the requirements of the government and earning the title to their property. Every single one of these 2 million, regardless of success or failure, had a personal story.
Homestead National Monument of America exists today to tell those stories and commemorate the accomplishments and memories of all homesteaders. The Monument is currently involved in a project to identify well-known figures in American history that have or had personal connections to the Homestead Act. Some of those identified thus far include: Willa Cather (author); George Washington Carver (scientist, educator); Virgil Earp (frontier lawman); Jeannette Rankin (first woman elected to congress); Laura Ingalls Wilder (author); and Lawrence Welk (entertainer). Each of these people was touched by the Homestead Act and made significant contributions to the world in which he or she lived. Through a generous grant from the Gage County Foundation, Banners have been produced featuring each of these individuals. The banners hang outside the Education Center at the Monument. The banners can be seen in the photo album [slide show] above. Links to the stories of some prominent descendents of homesteaders can be found below. If you are a descendant of someone who filed on a homestead you story is important too, go here to learn more about telling your story.
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| HMN Image | | Rachel Bella Calof |
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Rachel Bella Calof
Yiddish Autobiographer, Homesteader
1876-1952
Devils Lake, North Dakota
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| HNM Image | | Willa Cather |
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Willa Cather
Author, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Daughter of Homesteaders
1873-1947
Red Cloud, Nebraska
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| Hnm Image | | Kenneth Deardorff |
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Kenneth Deardorff
Farmer, Busness Owner, Carpenter, Fur Trapper,
Vietnam Veteran, Homesteader
1944 -
Stony River, Alaska
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| HNM Image | | Ivan Doig |
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Ivan Doig
Ranch hand, Novelist, Historian, Grandson of Homesteaders
1939-
Broadwater County, Montana
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| HNM Image | | Virgil Earp |
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Virgil Earp
Wells Fargo Shotgun Guard,
Deputy Marshall-Shootout at the OK Corral, homesteader
1844-1905
Prescott, Arizona
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| HNM Image | | Whoopi Goldberg |
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Whoopi Goldberg
Comedian, Actress, Winner of Grammy, Tony, Emmy, and Academy Awards Great-Great-Granddaughter of Homesteaders
1955-
Alachua County Florida
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| HNM Image | | John Hubbell |
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John Hubbell
Trader with the Navajo Indians (Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site), Homesteader
1853-1930
Gando, Arizona
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| HNM Image | | Chet Huntley |
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Chet Huntley
Radio Announcer, Journalist, Newscaster (The Huntley-Brinkley Report,
NBC News), Resort Developer, Son of Homesteaders
1911-1974
Caldwell, Montana
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| HNM Image | | Jewel Kilcher |
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Jewel Kilcher
Musician, Author, Actress, Granddaughter of Homesteaders
1974-
Homer, Alaska
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| HNM Image | | Thomas Kleppe |
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Thomas Kleppe
Mayor, Member of Congress, Director of Small Busness Administration, Secretary of the Interior (Ford Administration), Son of Homesteaders
1919-
Kintyre, North Dakota
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| HNM Image | | Walter Knott |
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Walter Knott
Farmer, Agricultural Developer, Restaurateur, Theme Park Innovator, Homesteader
1889 - 1981
Buena Park, California
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| HNM Image | | William McKnight |
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William McKnight
Businessman, Industrialist, Head of 3M corporation, Son of Homesteaders
1887 - 1978
White, South Dakota
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| HNM Image | | Enos Mills |
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Enos Mills
Naturalist, Father of Rocky Mountain National Park, Homesteader
1870-1922
Estes Park, Colorado
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| HNM Image | | Forest Ray Moulton |
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Forest Ray Moulton
Astronomer, Mathematician, Son of Homesteaders
1872-1952
LeRoy, Michigan
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| HNM Image | | Bill Nelson |
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Bill Nelson
State Legislator, State Insurance Commissioner,
U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, Astronaut, Grandson of Homesteaders
1942-
Brevard County, Florida
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| HNM Image | | Tom Osborne |
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Tom Osborne
Educator, College Football Coach (University of Nebraska),
U. S. Congressman, Grandson of Homesteaders
1937-
Hastings, Nebraska
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| HNM Image | | Steve Owen |
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Steve Owen
All-Pro Football Player, Professional Football Coach (New York Giants),
Son of Homesteaders
1898-1964
Cleo Springs, Oklahoma
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| HNM Image | | Jeannette Rankin |
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Jeannette Rankin
First Woman Elected to Congress, Peace Advocate,
Daughter of Homesteaders
1880-1973
Missoula, Montana
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| HNM Image | | Evelyn Sharp |
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Evelyn Sharp
Aviator, Pilot for Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in World War II,
Daughter of Homesteaders
1919-1944
Ord, Nebraska
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| HNM Image | | Wa gi ma wub |
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Wa gi ma wub
Boise Forte/Ojibwe Indian Chief, Homesteader
1835-1937
Vermilion Lake, Minnesota
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| HNM Image | | Lawrence Welk |
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Lawrence Welk
Musician, Entertainer, Son of Homesteaders
1903-1992
Strasburg, North Dakota
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| HNM Image | | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
Author of Little House on the Prairie Series, Daughter of Homesteaders
1867-1957
De Smet, South Dakota
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