Explore how women homesteaders and suffragists broke down gender barriers and paved the way for modern women with a Park Ranger from Homestead National Park.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was gender-blind, allowing women to claim 160 acres of land just like men could. As women homesteaders were helping to settle the West, suffragists fought to secure the right to vote for women across the United States. The Homestead Era and Women's Suffrage movement were intertwined and left a tremendous impact on history.
Contact the Adult and Teen Services Desk at ATS@dglibrary.org or call (630) 960-1200 with questions.
Pictured: Willa Cather at Mesa Verde, ca. 1915, who settled on her grandparent's 160-acre homestead just outside the town of Red Cloud, Nebraska.
Photo courtesy of Homestead National Park.
