Homesteads on Fort Richardson, Alaska - The USARAK Home Page ...

The Alaska Homestead Law of 1898 reduced the acreage allowed for homesteadsfrom 160 acres to 80 acres. Under widespread dissatisfaction, this restriction waschanged a few years later. In 1903, the Alaska Homestead Act was again amended,this time to expand the maximum acreage allowed to 320 acres. The acreage requirementswent from too little to too much, as evidenced by the large number ofclaimants who didn’t make it to final proof. It took a number of years before suitableregulations were fine tuned to meet the needs of Alaskan homesteaders. 59The fine-tuning began in 1912 when further legislation was passed. First, the residencerequirements on the homestead were reduced from five years to three years.Absences from the homestead of up to five months were allowed. However, 14months of continuous residence were necessary to gain patent. Second, a provisionstipulating that residence must be constructed within the first six months was added.Third, and most significant, cultivation requirements were reduced. By the beginningof the second year, a homesteader had to cultivate one-sixteenth of the land.By the beginning of the third year, a total of one-eighth of the land had to be cultivated.On a typical 320-acre homestead, this meant 40 acres of land had to becleared and cultivated within two years. 60In 1919, Public Law 257 was passed, outlining the homestead requirements thatwould be in effect when Fort Richardson homesteaders filed their claims. Underthis legislation, the maximum allowable acreage of homesteads was reduced to 160acres as clearing 40 acres of land in two years proved to be too difficult. Anotherimportant provision allowed for the establishment of homesteads on unsurveyedlands. This was extremely beneficial in Alaska, as most of the territory was not yetsurveyed. Previously, a homesteader had to pay for a land survey out of his ownpocket when making a homestead claim in an unsurveyed area. This was quite anexpensive process. One final change allowed individuals the option of taking fouror five years to prove-up on the homestead, with six and five months of residencyrespectively per year. This allowed greater flexibility in leaving the homestead forextended periods to pursue other means of employment. 61Filing a homestead claim began with a person becoming familiar with the area ofland they were interested in. This necessitated “a visual inspection by the applicant.”62 The most crucial aspect of a homestead claim was choosing a good location.Water accessibility, soil quality, distance from main roads, and even the densenessof trees were all factors to take into account when choosing a spot to live forthe next few years.Claims were then officially made by filing an application, or settling on the land.With settlement, applicants were required to file notice in the land office within 90days of occupation. If the claim was on unsurveyed land, notice was then “postedon the land in order to protect the entryman’s rights.” 63 Claims by application requireda boundary description of the land in reference to survey plat. If the land was59Carberry and Lane. Patterns of the Past, An Inventory of Anchorage’s Historic Resources. p.183.60Ibid.61Ibid., pp.183, 184.62Harkin et al. A Study of Federal Land Laws and Policies in Alaska. p.265.63Ibid.20<strong>Homesteads</strong> on Fort RichardsonAlaska