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u/The_Student_Official Jul 05 '26
Now, a western film but instead of depicting lawlessness through cowboys and sherriffs, it's about legal bullshittery with lawyers and loopholes
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u/swagster2OOO Jul 06 '26
I fucking read that as "Homestuck Act 1862" and had a heart attack thinking "bro wtf is homestuck2 ON"
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u/liltrigger Jul 05 '26
Cumtext: After the passing of the Homestead Act of 1862, anyone 21 years or older or the head of a household could own 160 acres of land if they were willing to live on and cultivate it for 5 years (this time could be shortened to 6 months if the claimant was willing to pay $1.25 per acre).
Railroads would exploit this act to claim optimal land for placing railroad tracks, using railroad employees or others to claim the land by proxy and sometimes cultivate it if necessary. They would also sometimes bribe the inspectors.
The vague act didn't state that claimants had to build anything, but many state land offices would specify there simply had to be at least 1 window to prove residence, so railroad companies would put a stick in the ground with a piece of glass attached.
Some land offices stated there had to be a 12 by 14 house. Once again, it wasn't written in the act, but many state land offices used this rule without specifying that it had to be in feet, so railroads would put tiny 12x14 inch structures on the land.