Cutout in the shape of Alaska with a cutout showing the amount of homesteaded land
NPS Photo
When the 1862 Homestead Act was extended to Alaska in 1898, veterans had special rights to obtain homesteads faster than the normal homesteading requirements. As early as 1901, some veterans were selling their rights to homesteads to fish companies who then received homestead patents in coastal areas of Alaska.
Farming was possible in some parts of Alaska, like portions of the Matanuska and Tanana river valleys, and around Delta, but was hard or impossible in many other areas. This was one reason why few homesteads were awarded. Other factors facing Alaska homesteaders included remoteness, cold weather, short growing seasons, and high expense for supplies. After railroads were built in Alaska in the early 1900s and the Alaska Highway opened in 1947, increased accessibility in some areas spurred more homesteading
Homesteading officially ended on October 21, 1976 with the passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, however, a 10-year extension was allowed in Alaska since it was a new state with fewer settlers. In total 3,277 homesteaders were proved up in Alaska. The total acreaged was 363,775 which is less than 1% of the land in the state.
