“I will not be moved from this land. I knew what I was up against when I came here–and I’m not leaving
now. The Almighty can blow every last inch of this topsoil to kingdom come…but I ain’t a givin’ in.”
~Tobias Erlanger, Homesteader, Crawford, NE
For the early homesteader, life was always a challenge.
Take for example, Tobias Erlanger.
For Tobias Erlanger, The Nebraska Homestead Act of 1863 offered up a golden opportunity to those who had been largely relegated to begging for scraps from rich people’s tables. Serendipitously, land was being made available to those who wanted it–all in the effort to move America westward.
And Erlanger, a lifelong down and outer, was bound and determined not to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
Specifically, this new law known as The Nebraska Homestead Act established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: filing an application, improving the land, and filing for deed of title. Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land. For the next 5 years, the homesteader had to live on the land and improve it by building a 12-by-14 dwelling and growing crops. After 5 years, the homesteader could file for his patent (or deed of title) by submitting proof of residency and the required improvements to a local land office.
But nothing ever comes easy on the Plains.
After having survived four and a half grueling years trying to make good on his claim, the wind scornfully turned out of the south and blew for more than a month. With nothing to break the relentless tempest, Tobias Erlanger’s water dried up.
But even in the midst of miserable circumstances, Erlanger did prove to be a man of his word.
On a late August afternoon, the local preacher made his annual visit to the Erlanger homestead and found Erlanger dead in his field–just 104 days shy of the five year statute of limitations. According to the local’s lore, his hands were still clutching the handles of his rusted iron plow.
Tobias Erlanger never found the life he was looking for on the Great Plains. But like his opening quote that was taken from archives in the Library of Congress, he most certainly did not give in.
Abandoned prairie home, southern NE.
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