Homestead National Monument Of America
The Homestead Act eventually turned 270 million acres of federal land to private ownership. Authorized by Congress in 1936, Homestead National Monument of America was established to commemorate the lives of the pioneers and the changes in the country brought about by the Homestead Act of 1862.
The Homestead Heritage Center offers an orientation film and a museum that looks at homesteader life and the evolution of the Homestead Act. Nearby is the Palmer-Epard Cabin, an original homesteader's cabin furnished with pioneer artifacts. The Education Center often hosts special programs and temporary exhibits. The Freeman School, a one-room prairie schoolhouse, is a quarter-mile west of the Education Center.
A 2.5-mile, self-guiding trail traverses 100 acres of restored tallgrass prairie. In late summer prairie grasses up to 9 feet high give visitors a sense of the Great Plains as the settlers saw them.
Picnicking, hiking and cross-country skiing are permitted. Allow 1.5 hours minimum. Grounds daily dawn-dusk. Heritage center and buildings open daily 8:30-6, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5, Sat.-Sun. 9-5, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Free admission. For more information, phone (402) 223-3514.