The Claim Shanty

The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlers to file on 160 acres. Settlers would live in Claim Shack's that would usually be 10 foot by 12 foot, which is what met the domicile requirements and served as the initial home for many a pioneer in Middle Border country. With little to decorate with, pioneers would use local newspapers and "white wash" thier walls by placing them all across the insides of there homes. White washing also helped with insulation. 

Hearty souls stayed the required number of months on the claim and gradually made improvements, including the basic shack. Others would prove up on their claim, sold out and moved on. This display is a tribute to those that stayed. 

Congress revamped the Homestead Laws and homesteaders could file on additional land under some circumstances. One such changed allowed settlers to file on a tree claim, which included the planting of trees as part of the requirements before title could be transferred from the federal government to the new owner. It was important for homesteaders to obtain more land since it was nearly impossible to turn 160 acres of prairie land into enough money to survive. The Dakota Boom started in 1870s and ended in the late 1880s when three years of drought hit the region.