Desert Land Act
Encyclopedia
The Desert Land Act was passed by the United States Congress
on March 3, 1877 to encourage and promote the economic development of the arid
and semiarid public lands
of the Western states
. Through the Act, individuals may apply for a desert-land entry to reclaim, irrigate
, and cultivate arid and semiarid public lands.
The act offered 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land to an adult married couple who would pay $1.25 an acre and promise to irrigate the land within three years. A single man would only receive half of the land for the same price. Individuals taking advantage of the act were required to submit proof of their efforts to irrigate the land within three years, but as water was relatively scarce, a great number of fraudulent "proofs" of irrigation were provided.
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on March 3, 1877 to encourage and promote the economic development of the arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
and semiarid public lands
Federal lands
Federal lands are lands in the United States for which ownership is claimed by the U.S. federal government.-Primary federal land holders:*Bureau of Land Management*United States Forest Service*United States Fish and Wildlife Service*National Park Service...
of the Western states
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Through the Act, individuals may apply for a desert-land entry to reclaim, irrigate
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, and cultivate arid and semiarid public lands.
The act offered 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land to an adult married couple who would pay $1.25 an acre and promise to irrigate the land within three years. A single man would only receive half of the land for the same price. Individuals taking advantage of the act were required to submit proof of their efforts to irrigate the land within three years, but as water was relatively scarce, a great number of fraudulent "proofs" of irrigation were provided.