Finding Homesteads
The Canadian Homestead Act was passed in 1872. The goal was to settle the west, giving one square mile to applicants who came from Europe, the USA, and eastern Canada. The Dominion Lands Act limited the land parcels to acreages at least 20 miles from the railroad, but this meant that few farmers took up the offer so the laws changed to 10 miles, then eventually no distance limit. Terms were that at least 40 acres had to be cultivated and a permanent dwelling built within 3 years. The cost was $10. It was not until 1896 that settlement of the west really got going and in BC even later. By 1918, the government scrapped the program and in 1930, governance of the lands was passed from the Federal Government to the Provincial Governments.
In the Kamloops area, many of the homesteads were established between 1910 and 1917. Most of the farms were not successful (unreliable water and poor soil) and only those that that acquired a number of adjacent acreages were able to continue on (mostly with ranching). Homesteads built on these lands are now over 100 years old and are slowly falling down or disappearing. A few can still be found standing, but access is limited by private and leased lands. A few can be hiked to using Government Registries and Google Earth, but each one needs to be explored on foot. A couple are featured here. Locations are not provided so that they can stay in a preserved state for a while yet.
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