Related News

My family and I just got back from an extended road trip. And one of our first stops on that road trip was Homestead National Historic Park in Nebraska. It was actually our second time visiting and, seriously, if you get the chance to visit, you absolutely should. (It’s only about an hour and a half from Winter Quarters.)

The Homestead Act was fascinating. Signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, it allowed heads of household or anyone over 21 to claim a 160-acre parcel of land, provided they were, or intended to become, a citizen.[fn1] To get the land, a homesteader had to live on the land for five years, built a home, make improvements to the land, and farm it. At the end of five years, for only the cost of a filing fee, a successful homesteader would own the land.

The Homestead Act encouraged the settlement of a significant portion of the Midwest and the West. Roughly 10% of the land of the U.S. was claimed under these provisions. Of course, it’s not like the land was uninhabited before homesteaders staked their claims, and the Park doesn’t gloss over the harm it did to Native Americans or, for that matter, to the environment, as farmers tore up prairie and cut down forests.

Still, it’s a fascinating and important part of U.S. history (happy Fourth of July to our U.S. readers!), one that is, at least in my educational experience, largely overlooked.

And it’s a not-insignificant part of Mormon history.

See, Utah had almost 17,000 homesteaders that proved-up their claims. I assume not all of them were Mormon, but some were. At our visit, the Ranger pointed us to some computers with access to a Bureau of Land Management website that allows people to search for homestead records. I did a quick search and discovered that Charles A. Brunson, my great-great-grandfather, successfully got 160 acres in Millard County, Utah, in 1915 after (I presume) homesteading it for 5 years.

I may well have other ancestors who also homesteaded in Utah (and I’ll probably look at some point), but the point of a vacation where I didn’t bring my computer was not to spend a ton of time sitting on computers at an NPS site, so I then did a quick search and discovered that at least one of my wife’s (non-Mormon) ancestors also successfully homesteaded in Wisconsin.

At that point, we enjoyed the rest of the displays and farming tools and cabins and other things the site had to offer. (Seriously, you should go!)

The Homestead Act did significant work in creating the United States we have today. And that work did not exclude the Mormons.

If you discover you had ancestors who homesteaded, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

—

[fn1] Which included women, immigrants, and formerly-enslaved persons.

Image from Shelly. CC BY 2.0.

Source: bycommonconsent.com

Homesteading isn’t about living off the grid, but rather reducing your dependence on the things that modern society has made us dependent upon. It can start with just a few homesteading tools.

For example, a deer from the wild can provide an entire year of healthy, untainted meat for your family. Add to that a few garden tools, a canning jar or two and you’re well on your way!

Source: kare11.com

A homestead is an independent living lifestyle that encompasses a wide range of living categories. Most people that homestead focus on self-sufficiency in regards to food, energy and more.

Winter is a great time to chop firewood for your homestead! You’ll stay warm while working and can use the wood for cooking, heat, and crafting.

Maury County will kick off June with another festive First Fridays, as well as the inaugural Homestead Festival at Rory Feek’s farm, end of school bashes and more.

1. Homestead Festival at Feek Farm

Go back to the basics of farm living and homesteading this weekend, along with a roundup of great live music and food at the first ever Homestead Festival.

The two-day festival will feature dozens of demonstrators showcasing the art of “homesteading,” or ways to provide sustainable living through things like gardening, plant and livestock raising and ways to live off the land.

www.TheHomesteadFestival.com.

www.TheMulehouse.com.

3. Baxter’s End of School Bash

Celebrate the end of the school year by paying a visit to Baxter’s Mercantile, 808 S. Garden St., for its End of School Bash.

The event will take place over two days, from 5-8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Baxter’s will feature outdoor vendors, sidewalk chalk for the kids, food samples and a petting zoo courtesy of Swizzle Sweet Farm from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday.

Saturday’s event will also include free face painting and balloons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

4. The Rebel’s 4th annual Pig Roast Luau

Grab your best grass skirt and head down to The Rebel Bar and Grill, 307 Riverside Drive, for the fourth annual Pig Roast Luau.

The event starts at 3 p.m. Saturday and will include live music and lawn games like corn hole, connect four, or challenge someone to a friendly game of beer pong.

The Rebel will also have a full bar throughout the night.

All ages are welcome, although admission will be 21 and up, starting at 8 p.m.

5. Live entertainment

Murphy Ridge will perform at Asgard Brewing Co. & Taproom, 104 E. 5th St., starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Cord Martin will perform at Vintage Winery, 616 N. Main St., starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Brian Golden Blues Experiment will perform at Bad Idea Brewing, 307 W. 11th St. in the Columbia Arts Building, starting at 6 p.m. Friday.

Aaron Sizemore Band will perform at Tuck’s Place, 102 Depot St., starting at 8 p.m. Friday.

Chloe Belle will perform at Mt. Pleasant Grille, 100 Main St. in Mt. Pleasant, starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The 231 South Band will perform at The Boondox, 3543 Highway 431, starting at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Amber Falls Winery and Cellars, 794 Ridgetop Road, will host another Music on The Ridge starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, featuring Box of Rox from 3-7 p.m. and The Spice is Right food truck.

Amber Falls will host a second Music on The Ridge starting at 1 p.m. Sunday, featuring the Laura Lane Duo from 1-5 p.m. and Mostarda food truck.

Aaron Sizemore Band will perform at The Rebel Bar and Grill, 307 Riverside Drive, starting at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Jay Powell covers events and entertainment for The Daily Herald. Contact him at jpowell@c-dh.net or follow him on Twitter @JayPowellCDH.

Source: columbiadailyherald.com

Homesteading is a philosophy of self-sufficiency that can be practiced anywhere. Whether you live on 100 acres in the country or in the heart of a big city, it’s all about making more and buying less.

It’s also about growing as a family. Spending the day together working on projects and taking care of animals brings people closer.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – (Iowa’s News Now) — At Walker Homestead in Iowa City, variety is the spice — and herbs — of life.

“Four acre garden, so we grow probably 80-100 different species of vegetables and a handful of fruits as well,” says farm manager Ben Weber. “We’ve got cows, chickens, goats, sheep, turkeys.”

The farm sells much of its product through community-supported agriculture or CSA programs or at an on-site farmers market. Though Walker is also in the business of educating about a more self-sustainable way of life.

“It’s more than a trend. I think this is the new lifestyle,” says general manager Kent Foulker.

During the pandemic, as more people stayed at home, interest in homesteading grew. Homesteading itself is a spectrum, but focused on a more self-reliant lifestyle that often includes growing your own food or raising animals for meat and other products.

While Walker is a fairly large operation, Weber says it doesn’t take a huge plot or time commitment to grow your own groceries.

“Half an acre of vegetables can more than provide for a family of four for a year with intensive planting and succession planting,” he says.

With inflation and shortages still cropping up, homesteaders find cutting links out of the supply chain helps cut their own food costs.

“You know a lot of that cost that gets accrued is shipping costs,” Foulker says. “The whole supply chain that builds up cost over time and the customer has to pay for it.”

“Seeds are just 90 cents a packet and you can grow huge amounts of food from just that 90 cents,” says president Kristy Walker.

Weber says homegrown food is better for the environment because it cuts down on the transportation of the supply chain and can be better for your mind and body. He says by reducing the time between farm and table, you can get more nutrients from the produce. There’s also the benefits of being outside.

“You’re getting both the fresh air and the exercise,” Walker says. “Nothing like lifting your spirits by even just ten minutes in the garden.”

Walker Homestead will soon launch a series on Tik Tok to introduce a new generation to homesteading; videos will teach about growing food using a new victory garden the team will soon plant. Walker Homestead hopes using this new tool to teach an age-old way of life will mean even more people grow closer to how their food is grown.

“It’s ownership. And you can say I did that, I grew that and now I’m eating it and it is better than what you can get at the store,” Weber says. “It’s hard to be upset when you get to play into the dirt all day.”

Source: cbs2iowa.com