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Women Homesteaders

"Women homesteaders in front of their sod house"
Women in Front of a Sod House

 

The Homestead Act of 1862 opened South Dakota to Americans, explicitly allowing women to own their own land. This opportunity was hard to pass up for some women, they packed up everything they could and moved to the Great Plains to try to “prove up,” their land.

 

Available Resource(s):

Image Citation:

Solomon D. Butcher, “Chrisman Sisters,” (1886). https://www.denverpost.com/2007/04/05/pioneer-women/