Existing comment:
Colton's New Sectional Map of the State of Nebraska, 1869
In 1867, only a few years after the passage of the Homestead Acts, the state of Nebraska was admitted to the Union. The Homestead Acts were instrumental in opening up millions of acres of government land throughout the Midwest, including Nebraska, to private settlement. Prospective landowners simply selected a parcel of 160 acres of land, lived on the land for a period of five years, and built a 12'x 14' cabin. At the end of five years the land legally transferred from U.S. government ownership to the private landowner.
The map shown here is the first separately printed map of Nebraska issued after statehood. |