In 1862, Congress passed the revolutionary Homestead Act that sent thousands of Americans west in pursuit of free land. What was the history leading up to the 1862 Homestead Act?As the United States emerged as a new nation in the late 18th century, it accumulated title to land. Unlike most states, Alaska does not impose an acreage limit for homestead exemptions. The Homestead Act was finally repealed in 1976, but a provision of the repeal allowed for homesteading to continue in Alaska until 1986. Read about the restrictions on the Department of the Interior's decision to make 10000 acres of land in Alaska available to homesteaders in the Section 8 of the Homestead Act of 1862 allowed persons who did not want to wait five years to complete their entries to. The homestead laws were extended to. Read about the restrictions on the Department of the Interior's decision to make 10000 acres of land in Alaska available to homesteaders in the The Homestead Act allowed one homestead of 160 acres maximum for each family to stake claim in.