HOMESTEADING

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act and created a world of opportunity for the 372,000 families who were able to take advantage of the program. Many had the will to work and the Homestead Act of 1862 granted them the legal right to claim 160 acres for their own for an unprecedentedly low cost with the requirement that they live on the land and cultivate it for a minimum of five years to gain the full title. Filmed in scenic Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota locations through the four seasons, HOMESTEADING blends interviews with historians, stories told by descendants of homesteaders, and dramatic readings from pioneer diaries and letters to paint a picture of the people who created a life for themselves on the prairie.