Homestead Act Centenary

This Homestead Act stamp commemorated the centennial of the first Homestead Act in 1862. The act allowed settlers to claim a federal land grant of western property. To receive a clear title, the applicant must not have taken up arms against the United States, be 21 years old or the head of a household, pay a small filing fee, and live on the land for at least five years and make improvements. The stamp features a homesteading couple by a sod hut.