North Dakota with a cutout showing the amount of homesteaded land
NPS Photo
In total 118,472 homesteads were proved up in North Dakota. The total acreage of homesteaded land was 17,417,466 which is 39% of the land in the state.
Rachel Bella Calof’s autobiographical account of life on the homestead tells the hardships endured by both women and immigrants during U.S. expansion. Feeling that homesteading was their best opportunity to succeed in America, Rachel and Abraham journeyed to the region near Devils Lake, North Dakota to become homesteaders. Over the next 23 years, she and her husband carved out a life for themselves on the North Dakota prairie.
