This 1862 act gave 160 acres of free land to anyone who had lived on it & improved it for 5 years
... as well as to other internal improvements that could hasten western 
settlement,... [DOC] [TLE] The Homestead Act of 1862 | National Archives [PAR] By 1800, the minimum lot was halved to 320 acres, and settlers were allowed to 
... could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government 
land.