HOMESTEAD HISTORY
An allusion has been made to the Homestead Law. I think it worthy of consideration, and that the wild lands of the country should be distributed so that every man should have the means and opportunity of benefitting his condition.
Abraham Lincoln, 1861
Homesteading is truly one of the unique aspects of Alaskan history. Much like the land rush in Oklahoma in the 1880's, homesteading opened up some of the finest lands in the United states, to any who had the wherewithal and inner drive to stake that land as their own, and to "prove it up" in the eyes of the government.
The homesteading act was not applied to the wild lands of Alaska until 1898 that the legislature applied the act to the relatively new territory of Alaska.
Alaska was still too remote for most folks, and the growing season was far too short to set up successful farming, so by 1914 around 200 homesteads had been applied for. During the WW2 and Vietnam, homesteading became a bit more popular and communities began to sprout up in some of the more incredible and game rich areas of the soon-to-be state. Before the final homestead was awarded in Alaska (in 1988 on the Stony River in Alaska) 2 truly 1 of a kind homesteads were awarded that form the backbone of our Great Alaska Adventures.