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The Homestead Act enthralled Laura's father, who spent a total of 10 years of his marriage moving his family from place to place to "make his bet with Uncle Sam" that he could fulfill all requirements to obtain title to his own farm. Laura's future husband Almanzo was just as enthused about the idea as Charles Ingalls was, but for both men - and Laura was an active part in both her father's and her husband's farm - it was a case of loopholes, fine print "gotcha"s

and above all else, uncooperative weather that soured them on the Homestead Act. Charles Ingalls wound up selling his claim as soon as he had it paid for, and Almanzo Wilder eventually decided to buy an existing farm that he would own outright (except for monthly mortgage payments, of course). The fliers posted at the time about the Homestead Act always carried the headline "FREE LAND!!" That "free land", in reality, bankrupted countless people.

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14y ago

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