Quote Originally Posted by slapout9 View Post
Steve is right but so is Fuchs to great extent, by claiming land they essentially had free capital something that can't happen today. My Great Grandparents simply staked a claim on a piece of land that had a water supply. At the time I didn't understand a lot of what they said when they talked about never having a job and never really having any money but living quite well. They saved their Social Security Checks (literally put them in a drawer) because they didn't no what to do with them and they certainly would never trust or use something called a Bank Early settlers were the original Hippies, it was all about Land, Labor and Tools and being a good neighbor. I think there is lesson in UNlearned in there somewhere.
Actually the Homestead Act was a little more complicated that someone just claiming land. They had to prove it up (in other words homestead and start putting in crops), and there were some other requirements as well. And as far as the original settlers being Hippies...that looks cute in retrospect but the reality on the ground was far different and very harsh.

I could go on about Frontier history, but that's diverting the thread as Ken pointed out.