Enlarged Homestead Act

There are many different laws that were implemented between 1862 and 1978 that govern the rangelands in the United States such as the Range Improvement Act, Endangered Species Act, Multiple Use Act, Enlarged Homestead Act, and more. There is one act that had the greatest and most positive impact and one act that had the greatest and most negative impact on the rangelands in the United States.

There were three acts implemented in 1862. The first was the Homestead Act which stated that 160 acres would be granted after five years of residence and upon making specific improvements. This act led to the rapid settlement of the Midwest. The next act was the Morrill Act which granted two townships (approximately 40,000 acres) to each state for

establishing land grant colleges. This act resulted in a more efficient agricultural research and education and, in my opinion, is the second greatest act with positive impact on rangelands. The last act of 1862 was the Transcontinental Railroad Act which, in my opinion, was the third greatest act with positive impact on rangelands. This act granted land for the railroads which allowed large numbers of people to move west and provided a means to ship crops and livestock back east, which resulted in the completion of the railroad across the United States in 1868.
In 1891 the next act that was implemented was the Forest Reserve Act.

The Forest Reserve Act reduced destructive logging and preserved watersheds which led to the establishment of national forests’.

1909 saw the next act created: The Enlarged Homestead Act. This act granted 320 acres if a quarter of it was cultivated. It encouraged settlement in the nine westernmost states and in the western portion of the Great Plains. This act also became the leading factor in the cause of the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s, as many newer settlers did not know how to properly use the land and plowed/overgrazed it so much no new grass could grow causing dust storms to sweep the nation. That is why I think the Enlarged Homestead Act had the greatest and most negative impact on the rangelands.

In 1916 the Stockraising Homestead Act was implemented. This act granted stockmen 640 acres to raise fifty cows which resulted in extensive range destruction due to overgrazing.

The next act created was the Taylor Act of 1934 which intended to stop injury to public grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration and provided orderly use, improvement, and development of rangelands to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon public

ranges.
In 1935 the Soil Erosion Act was implemented. This act established the Soil Conservation Service to conduct soil erosion surveys and establish prevention measures.
The Multiple Use Act of 1960 was, in my opinion, the act that had the greatest and most positive impact on the rangelands in the United States. It mandated that the Forest Service lands be managed for several uses (grazing, wildlife, timber, recreation, etc.) instead of just one use. I feel that this act made sure the lands were cared for and used efficiently which, in theory, should cause the lands to last longer, which in turn would sustain the American people longer.
In 1969 the National Environmental Policy was passed in response to pressure from environmental groups.

It required environmental impact statements by federal and private agencies on actions that would affect federal lands so they would think about the causes of their actions more before beginning.

1973 had the Endangered Species Act which encouraged the conservation of species that are endangered or threated and conservation of their ecosystems.

The last act implemented for the rangelands was the Range Improvement Act of 1978 which was created to manage, maintain, and improve the condition of public rangelands so that they become as productive as feasible for all rangeland values through an equitable fee for public grazing use of federal lands.

In my opinion, the act that had the most positive impact on the rangelands in the United States was the Multiple Use Act of 1960 because it required care for the lands due to the need of multiple uses. The act that had the most negative impact on the rangelands was the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 because it ultimately caused the Dust Bowl. While both acts had positive and negative aspects, and there are many other acts regarding rangelands, I believe I labeled them correctly based off of their impacts on the land

itself.