The Homestead Act of 1862 changed the course of United States history, opening up the West to millions of settlers. 270 million acres, about 10% of the total land area of the United States, was claimed through homesteading. People from all walks of life were eligible, as long as they could improve the land, build a home, and use the land. Many homesteaders succeeded and saw their dreams come true, while others failed and returned back east. The influx of millions of settlers also had a profound impact on Native Americans through the West, surrounding them with white settlers, and ensuring their permanent confinement to reservations.

Homesteading was a difficult life with no guarantee of success. Prospective homesteaders were 21 years or older. They had to "prove up" their land, meaning build a home and make other improvements to the property, and successfully grow crops or raise cattle. If the homesteader was able to successfully work the land for 5 years, they were granted ownership of 160 acres by the government. This life was hard, and homesteaders found themselves isolated from supply chains, family, and even neighbors.

Initially, Montana was not impacted by the Homesteading Act. The land in eastern and central Montana was too dry and harsh for the simple farming of the period, the climate too cyclical, with long droughts. A series of laws passed in the 1900s changed this. The 1902 Reclamation Act funded immigration projects, such as the Huntley Project in Montana. This was soon followed by the Forest Homestead Act in 1906 and the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909. These 2 laws increased the size of the homestead to 320 acres, and allowed claims within national forests. The Homestead Act of 1912 reduced the "prove up" time to 3 years, and the Stock Raising Homestead Act of 1916 increased homestead claims for cattle ranches to 640 acres.

By the early 20th century, European immigrants were pouring into America. Many headed straight out to the frontier to pursue homesteading claims. Fortunately - and as it turned out later, unfortunately - for these new settlers, Montana entered a nearly decade long wet cycle in 1909. Recently developed farming techniques and equipment, in conjunction with the wet climate cycle, proved to be the antidote to the dry land of eastern and central Montana. Settlers began to swarm the state: immigrants, experienced farmers, novice farmers, families, single men - and even single women. Small communities and towns sprung up all over what had been wide open, endless plains. During this rush on Montana land 25 million acres were claimed by over 80,000 individuals. The government even allocated unused land on reservations to settlers, in an attempt to surround Native American residents with white settlers.

Unfortunately, the glory years of Montana homesteading were brief. In 1917, dry weather returned to the state. By 1918, a drought had spread across the central and eastern part of the state. Farm output dropped drastically, wildfires caused destruction, cattle suffered and died. Temperatures soared, and broken up top soil blew away in savage dust storms. The spread of the 1918 flu epidemic, combined with the end of increased food demand for World War I, spelled the end of the homesteading boom in Montana. Economic hardship hit the area, thousands lost their farms, and most of those who had come to settle during the period fled the state.

Homesteading in Montana thus followed a boom and bust cycle that transformed the entire state. While most of the settlers left, many stayed behind and adapted to the difficult conditions. Advancements in farming, irrigation, and other agricultural equipment enabled successful planting and harvesting. New towns and counties formed, laying the groundwork for the state as it is today. At the close of the major homesteading era in the state, over 1/3 of the state's land had been awarded, to over 150,000 claimants. 


Above photo: 1912 View of Oscar Bergern and Jake Gauthun hauling rocks with their two horses, wagon, and dog on Henry Syverud's homestead in the East Coalridge Community, Valley County, Montana.

Homesteading Collections

The Montana History Portal, in collaboration with dozens of institutions around the state, is pleased to present a wide variety of historical resources on homesteading in Montana. Some of these collections are narrowly focused on homesteading. Other collections have a broader focus on a variety of topics in Montana history, with selected items related to homesteading. The collections vary from large photo collections, to diaries, to official records, to history books written about a specific area of the state. We encourage you to browse through them to learn the many stories of early Montanans.


Archival Photographs from the University of Montana

Billings - Historic Photo Collection

Billings - Images of People

Central Montana Historical Documents

Central Montana Historical Photographs

Conrad City History

Diaries, Letters and Ledgers from the University of Montana

Early Agriculture and Homesteading in Judith Basin County

Early Edgerton County and Lewis and Clark County Records

Early Montana Histories

Evelyn Cameron Diaries

Fallon County History and Pictures

Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directories

From the Beginning - Ulm, Flood, Gore Hill and Riverdale

Gregg Family Oral Interviews

Huntley Irrigation Project Oral Histories

Huntley Project - Homesteads, People, & Harvests

Huntley Project - Town, Churches, & Schools

Jack L. Demmons' Photographs of Bonner, Montana

Jim Annin Photo Collection

Leland Cade Books Collection

Letters, Diaries and Documents from the Montana Historical Society

Lewis-Wedum General Store Ledgers

Local Histories of Montana

Mapping Montana and the West

Miles City Historical Documents

Montana Historical Society Civil War Era Diaries and Correspondence

Musselshell Valley Historical Museum Photographs

Photographs from the Montana Historical Society

Polson Area Historical Photographs - The Paul Fugleberg Collection

Range Riders Museum Early Frontier History

Sax and Fryer Collection

Sidney-Richland County Library Historical Collection

Swan Valley Historical Photographs

Tales from Carter County - Oral Histories

Searching for Homesteading Content on the Montana History Portal

Homesteading is a critical subject in Montana history. As such, the Portal has thousands of homesteading related items on our website, from dozens of different institutions around the state. It can be difficult to find everything related to your search. The history collections listed in this research guide are a starting point for you, but only just a beginning. If you have not used the search function on the Portal, we have a guide for Searching for Items in the Montana History Portal. This guide will explain how to filter by item type (images, documents, etc.) and explain other features of our advanced search engine. This search engine will allow you to narrow your selections by date range, which may be helpful to you. If you have a specific collection in mind, and it is too large to browse through each item, we also have a guide for Searching for Items in a Collection . As you use the search tools on the Portal, try to use a variety of different words and phrases in your search. You could try variations on words, such as "homesteaders" or "homesteading." If you know the names of individuals you are researching, make sure to try those. Place names and locations are a great way to narrow results as well.