Updated: February 5, 2026
They Settled in Montana: The Act
Interactive Quiz
Answer the questions about homesteading in Montana. When you are done, click Check Answers to see your score. Then use the feedback to fix any mistakes.
1. What did the Free Homestead Act of 1862 give to people who "proved up" their claim?
Hint: A quarter‑section is 160 acres.
2. Why was 160 acres often enough for a farm in states east of Montana but not in much of Montana?
Hint: Think about the word "arid," which describes eastern Montana's climate.
3. What does "proving up" a homestead mean?
Hint: Homesteaders usually had to stay for several years, not just visit once.
4. How did dryland farming help some farmers in eastern Montana?
Hint: Dryland farming tried to make the best use of soil moisture in a dry place.
5. What did the Desert Land Act of 1877 offer to people who agreed to irrigate the land?
Hint: This act gave four times as much land as the original Homestead Act.
6. How did some large cattle companies use the Desert Land Act to their advantage?
Hint: Companies often used individual "front" claimants.
7. What is one way scientists and historians say the Desert Land Act affected the environment in Montana?
Hint: Too many cattle on fragile grasslands can hurt the land.
8. What did the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 change for homesteaders in Montana?
Hint: This act doubled the land size for many new claims.
9. Why did so many "honyockers" (new homesteaders) move into Montana after 1909?
Hint: Think about the Enlarged Homestead Act and the wet years that followed.
10. What happened to many Montana homesteaders by the late 1920s?
Hint: Many people left when drought and money problems returned after the boom years.
Updated: February 5, 2026