Phillips County Museum News for Wednesday, August 28, 2024

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the original Homestead Act into law. He reportedly said, “This will do something for the little fellow”. This Homestead Act allowed a person to claim up to 160 acres of public land to make a home for himself. He had to reside on the land for five years and make improvements.

Before Montana could be homesteaded, the land had to be surveyed, which started in 1867.

The first land settled in Montana and in Phillips County was along creeks and rivers, springs, and waterholes.

In 1909, the Enlarged Homestead Act was passed allowing people to claim up to 320 acres. The amount of land was doubled because it took more land to be successful in the dry west. It also allowed homesteaders to be away from their claims for part of the year so that they could work at some other job to support their farm. Many people in our area went to Great Falls during the winter to find work. Many women worked in hotels or restaurants. In 1912, Congress reduced the prove-up period from five years to three years.

Once the Great Northern Railway completed its transcontinental line across Montana, they started promoting the area. They wanted to make money from passengers and freight. James J. Hill, Great Northern’s owner, distributed brochures and flyers across the country and in Europe encouraging emigration. He offered special fares to transport homesteaders and their families, stock, and belongings to their new homes in Montana. Hill also sponsored dryland farming conferences and exhibitions. He offered prizes for those attending.

Much of Phillips County was homesteaded between 1910 and 1920. An especially wet period from 1909 to 1917 produced bumper crops. In 1917, the drought years returned and lasted until 1940. Many homesteaders were unable to make a living, so they moved away by the hundreds.

Stop by the Phillips County Museum to look at the Phillips County homestead maps and see how populated the county was. We are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.