Does $1.25 per acre to buy land, does the sound good?
The Homestead Act on May 20, 1862 law established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. It was for land not in the original thirteen US states. This would bring people to settle the west.
 |
| Nebraska sod home. I love the cow on the roof. |
Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land.
Local land offices forwarded the paperwork to the General Land Office in Washington, DC, along with a final certificate of eligibility. The case file was examined, and valid claims were granted patent to the land free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Title could also be acquired after a 6-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they served from the residency requirements.
Many pioneers had a rough time once they arrived on their land. They often build sod homes that gave them little protection from the elements as it has little isolation. One woman reported a roof of sod dropped dirt, grass, and bugs from the ceiling.
 |
| Sisters living in a small sod home in Nebraska. |
Still, in 1870 a Montana settler reported spending only $2.78 on the construction of his entire sod home. However, since the house was literally built of dirt and grass, it was constantly infested with bugs, mice, snakes, and assorted other "varmints and vermin." One sod-house settler lamented that, "In the afternoons, every afternoon, the rattlesnakes would come out of their hidden dens in the walls and roof, and sun themselves on the western window-sill." The very best sod roofs tended to leak, which turned indoor dirt flooring into a quagmire. Wet roofs took days to dry out, and the enormous weight of the wet earth caused many roofs to collapse.
Making a living farming or keeping animals under was difficult with bad weather, drought, floods, etc. Even so, by 1934, over 1.6 million homestead applications were processed and more than 270 million acres—10 percent of all U.S. lands—passed into the hands of individuals. The passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 repealed the Homestead Act in the 48 contiguous states, but it did grant a ten-year extension on claims in Alaska.
 |
| Sod house with windows, Oklahoma |
Some of the above text was adapted from the article "The Homestead Act of 1862" by Lee Ann Potter and Wynell Schamel, 1997.
In my book Our Country Heart the third book in the Sierra Creek series, Emanuel Gordon is building a home with his own hands. Is he a fool hoping Vanna will ever see it let alone live there?
Have you ever made a mistake you would do anything to change?
Two people return to the small town of Sierra Creek to right a wrong. Can they ignore the past and put aside their problems for the good of the town? Are they wrong to have confidence in their ability to work together without breaking a heart?
Excerpt Our Country Heart Sierra Creek Series Book 3:
“At loose ends.” The saying had no meaning until today. Vanna Danelavich surveyed the California town of Sierra Creek spreading out in a vista before her. In the small village, brick and stucco houses dotted the landscape and surrounded the Main Street shopping area, where no big box stores were allowed.
From the knoll where she stood, the morning sun glistened on the bell tower of the church where her best friend was married a week ago.
This time yesterday, she was working a temp job at the preschool. The teacher returned today, after being on maternity leave. Now, Vanna confronted an uncertain future with few prospects in the rural community, where jobs were scarce, and opportunities limited. Still, it was her hometown.
Tired of being anonymous in Los Angeles, she’d thought of Sierra Creek, population five thousand, and longed for close friends, clean air and little traffic. In LA, with a population of over ten million, finding a friend to say good morning to was often impossible as people lived in a huge geographical area and met only by appointment.
Heat, smog, and gridlock were the only things LA residents could rely on. She might have tolerated those but for a disastrous relationship that left her shaken. Then her mother had a health scare and needed her. It seemed the right time to leave Los Angeles. So, at twenty-seven, she gave up her unrealistic dream of being an actress in Hollywood and came home.
She returned to the place of her birth and a better quality of life should have fallen into place. Too bad reality is never as perfect as a person’s desire. Vanna laughed without humor. She was home now. She’d better make the best of things in Sierra Creek because living in Los Angeles was over.
Could witnessing her best friend’s marriage, and seeing Amy so happy, after years of struggle, be the catalyst for her musing? Vanna had reveled in the joy Amy Long found with Wyatt Cameron, but she couldn’t escape the realization of her own empty personal life.
With a groan, she turned toward Main Street and Sophie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Today, it was her turn to open her mother’s shop. Just then, a sleek black sports car drove down the street. The car parked near the courthouse and a handsome, well-built, brown-haired, man left the vehicle and jogged up the steps to the entrance and disappeared inside. Not many strangers in this community. Who could he be?
Please leave a comment below.
Follow and like on:
Amazon look for the other Sierra Creek Books starting with Her Country Heart Sierra Creek Book 1
If suspense is your thing, check out Dangerous Web and Dangerous Denial solve two mysteries in the California Wine Country.