Finance

19 Historic Photos of Homesteaders (1880-1940)

Oliver James
3 Min Read
19 Historic Photos of Homesteaders (1880-1940)

Homesteading is a practice that still exists today, one where individuals embrace homegrown resources to survive. They take part in activities like raising livestock for meat and eggs, planting gardens for produce, and preserving foods to last through the winter.

Contents
1. Women Who Were Single, Widowed, Divorced, or Deserted Were Allowed 160 Acres of Federal Land in Their Name (1910s)2. Man Posing With the House He Built on His South Dakota Homestead (1909)3. Homesteader Outside Her Sod House in Broken Bow, Nebraska (1880s)4. Standing on Business in South Dakota (1909)5. Don’t Mess With Mama (1910s)6. Sisters and Their Sod House (1886)7. Real-Life Lincoln Logs (1900s)8. Harvest Time (1880s)9. Two Orphaned Children, Taken in and Raised on a Cajun Homestead (1925)10. Homesteader Eating Barbecue at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair With His Kids (1940)11. Family of Former Slaves on Their Homestead With Two Sod Buildings in Custer County, Nebraska (1887)12. Homesteader With His Dog and Sheep (1923)13. The Son of a German Immigrant Admiring the Land He Homesteaded On14. Family Traveling in Their Covered Wagon in Pursuit of a Homestead (1886)15. A Family at Their Missouri Homestead (1896)16. Sitting With a Bible and a Baby (Early 20th Century)17. Homesteader in Pie Town, New Mexico (1940)18. Family Homestead in Clinton, Utah (1890s)19. Nebraska Sod HouseLooking for similar content?

It’s hard work and takes a lot of dedication, but there are a handful of modern conveniences that make it undoubtedly easier today than it was in the late 1800s, when the Homestead Act of 1862 — which offered 160 acres of federal land to Americans willing to settle, build, and stay — sparked the earliest American homesteads. These vintage photos show just how incredible these relics were, from sod houses to little log cabins.

1. Women Who Were Single, Widowed, Divorced, or Deserted Were Allowed 160 Acres of Federal Land in Their Name (1910s)

hazelfoxie / Reddit.comhazelfoxie / Reddit.com
hazelfoxie / Reddit.com

2. Man Posing With the House He Built on His South Dakota Homestead (1909)

A man wearing suspenders, a long-sleeve shirt, and a wide-brimmed hat stands with hands on hips in front of a small, weathered wooden cabin with two windows and a screen door, in a rural landscape.A man wearing suspenders, a long-sleeve shirt, and a wide-brimmed hat stands with hands on hips in front of a small, weathered wooden cabin with two windows and a screen door, in a rural landscape.
sterexx / Reddit.com

3. Homesteader Outside Her Sod House in Broken Bow, Nebraska (1880s)

A woman in a dark dress stands in front of a small sod house with a single door, surrounded by tall grass and open prairie under a clear sky.A woman in a dark dress stands in front of a small sod house with a single door, surrounded by tall grass and open prairie under a clear sky.
HawkeyeTen / Reddit.com

4. Standing on Business in South Dakota (1909)

Five people stand in front of a small, weathered wooden house on a grassy yard. The building looks old and rustic, with a chimney and some outbuildings, and trees in the background.Five people stand in front of a small, weathered wooden house on a grassy yard. The building looks old and rustic, with a chimney and some outbuildings, and trees in the background.
easybake-98 / Reddit.com

5. Don’t Mess With Mama (1910s)

A woman stands outside aiming a rifle, wearing a long skirt and blouse. Another woman in a dress looks on from behind a window, holding the curtain aside to watch. The scene appears old and monochrome.A woman stands outside aiming a rifle, wearing a long skirt and blouse. Another woman in a dress looks on from behind a window, holding the curtain aside to watch. The scene appears old and monochrome.
iNikkor / Reddit.com

6. Sisters and Their Sod House (1886)

Four women in patterned dresses stand in front of a sod house, each holding a hat. Two horses stand at each end of the group. The grassy landscape and trees are visible in the background. The photo is black and white.Four women in patterned dresses stand in front of a sod house, each holding a hat. Two horses stand at each end of the group. The grassy landscape and trees are visible in the background. The photo is black and white.
eaglemaxie / Reddit.com

7. Real-Life Lincoln Logs (1900s)

A man and woman stand outside a small log cabin in a rural area. A horse is hitched to a cart nearby, and cut logs are scattered in the foreground. Sparse trees are visible in the background under a clear sky.A man and woman stand outside a small log cabin in a rural area. A horse is hitched to a cart nearby, and cut logs are scattered in the foreground. Sparse trees are visible in the background under a clear sky.
eaglemaxie / Reddit.com

8. Harvest Time (1880s)

Black-and-white photo of three people outside on a farm. One pushes a wheelbarrow filled with vegetables, another stands beside it, and a third holds a gardening tool. Trees and a house are visible in the background.Black-and-white photo of three people outside on a farm. One pushes a wheelbarrow filled with vegetables, another stands beside it, and a third holds a gardening tool. Trees and a house are visible in the background.
kaiahkoch / Reddit.com

9. Two Orphaned Children, Taken in and Raised on a Cajun Homestead (1925)

Two children stand side by side outdoors in an old sepia-toned photo. The girl wears a light dress and socks, while the boy wears overalls and a long-sleeve shirt. A wooden fence and foliage are in the background.Two children stand side by side outdoors in an old sepia-toned photo. The girl wears a light dress and socks, while the boy wears overalls and a long-sleeve shirt. A wooden fence and foliage are in the background.
cajunceltic / Reddit.com

10. Homesteader Eating Barbecue at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair With His Kids (1940)

A group of children and one adult sit on the ground outdoors by a car, eating food from plates. Some children are holding sandwiches; the adult is cutting food. The setting appears rustic and informal.A group of children and one adult sit on the ground outdoors by a car, eating food from plates. Some children are holding sandwiches; the adult is cutting food. The setting appears rustic and informal.
deniscard / Reddit.com

11. Family of Former Slaves on Their Homestead With Two Sod Buildings in Custer County, Nebraska (1887)

Five Black adults, four women seated and one man standing, pose in front of sod houses on grassy land. The scene includes barrels, a wooden cart, and horses in the background on a sunny day.Five Black adults, four women seated and one man standing, pose in front of sod houses on grassy land. The scene includes barrels, a wooden cart, and horses in the background on a sunny day.
CatPooedInMyShoe / Reddit.com

12. Homesteader With His Dog and Sheep (1923)

A man in work clothes and a flat cap sits on wooden steps outside a building, holding a puppy in his lap with a sheep standing beside him. The photo is black and white.A man in work clothes and a flat cap sits on wooden steps outside a building, holding a puppy in his lap with a sheep standing beside him. The photo is black and white.
mommajrose3 / Reddit.com

13. The Son of a German Immigrant Admiring the Land He Homesteaded On

An older man wearing suspenders and dress pants stands in a dry, open desert landscape with sparse vegetation and distant hills under a bright sky.An older man wearing suspenders and dress pants stands in a dry, open desert landscape with sparse vegetation and distant hills under a bright sky.
a_complex_kid / Reddit.com

14. Family Traveling in Their Covered Wagon in Pursuit of a Homestead (1886)

A black and white photo of three people standing beside a covered wagon pulled by two horses on a grassy plain, with various supplies loaded in the wagon.A black and white photo of three people standing beside a covered wagon pulled by two horses on a grassy plain, with various supplies loaded in the wagon.
__Freddie__ / Reddit.com

15. A Family at Their Missouri Homestead (1896)

A black-and-white photo of five people, including a woman holding a child, standing in front of a wooden house. A covered wagon with two horses is visible to the right amid grass and trees.A black-and-white photo of five people, including a woman holding a child, standing in front of a wooden house. A covered wagon with two horses is visible to the right amid grass and trees.
coreyisthename / Reddit.com

16. Sitting With a Bible and a Baby (Early 20th Century)

A sepia-toned vintage photo shows an African American couple sitting outside a wooden house; the woman holds a baby in her lap, and the man holds a book, both looking at the camera in a rural setting.A sepia-toned vintage photo shows an African American couple sitting outside a wooden house; the woman holds a baby in her lap, and the man holds a book, both looking at the camera in a rural setting.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

17. Homesteader in Pie Town, New Mexico (1940)

A man wearing a weathered hat and jacket squints in the sunlight, with a backdrop of cornfields and a partly cloudy blue sky.A man wearing a weathered hat and jacket squints in the sunlight, with a backdrop of cornfields and a partly cloudy blue sky.
Crowe410 / Reddit.com

18. Family Homestead in Clinton, Utah (1890s)

A black-and-white photo of a woman and two children standing in front of a rustic wooden house with an exterior staircase, small trees, and a horse-drawn wagon near a shed in a rural setting.A black-and-white photo of a woman and two children standing in front of a rustic wooden house with an exterior staircase, small trees, and a horse-drawn wagon near a shed in a rural setting.
jetpackblues_ / Reddit.com

19. Nebraska Sod House

A family poses outside a sod house on a dirt hill, with children and adults standing or sitting. A horse-drawn wagon is on the roof, and cornfields are visible in the background. The scene appears to be from the pioneer era.A family poses outside a sod house on a dirt hill, with children and adults standing or sitting. A horse-drawn wagon is on the roof, and cornfields are visible in the background. The scene appears to be from the pioneer era.
Lepke2011 / Reddit.com

Looking for similar content?

Get a taste of pioneer life with From Homesteads to Hand Tools: These 16 Vintage Photos Show What Pioneer Life Was Really Like. If these interest you, you might also like These 30 Vintage Photos Reveal a Forgotten World From the 1880s and Life, Land, and Legacy: 20 Vintage Photos of Native American Life.

The post 19 Historic Photos of Homesteaders (1880-1940) appeared first on Wealth Gang.

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