In public land states, patents documented the transfer of land ownership from the federal government to individuals. Wisconsin is a public land state. Ownership could be transferred to private individuals through acts of Congress that include military warrants, sale and homesteading.
In the early 1800s public land could be purchased for $1.25 an acre through a land patent. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed the public to settle up to 160 acres of public land if they lived on it for 5 years and grew crops or made improvements. This land did not cost anything other than the filing fee.
Bureau of Land Management -- Land Patent Search
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In public land states, patents documented the transfer of land ownership from the federal government to individuals. Wisconsin is a public land state. Through a land patent or a homestead certificate, ownership could be transferred to private individuals through acts of Congress that include military warrants, sale and homesteading.
In the early 1800s public land could be purchased for $1.25 an acre. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed the public to settle up to 160 acres of public land if they lived on it for 5 years and grew crops or made improvements. This land did not cost anything other than the filing fee.
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