Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 (ch. 76, 9 Stat. 496, enacted September 27, 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act) was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest (comprising the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). The law, which is considered a forerunner of the later Homestead Act, brought thousands of settlers into the new territory, swelling the ranks of the emigrants on the Oregon Trail. 7,437 patents were issued under the law until its expiration on December 1, 1855.
Read more about Donation Land Claim Act: History
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