The New York Rangers scored three goals in a span of only 1:17 late in the third period, stunning the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Homestead Act (May 20, 1862) set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers. Before the Civil War, the southern states had regularly voted against homestead legislation because they correctly foresaw that the law would hasten the settlement of western territory, ultimately adding to the number and political influence of the free states.
Not all the land was claimed. Not everyone who filed was successful. But the Homestead Act was designed to encourage settlement of the west. And that it accomplished. Certainly there were other reasons people chose to move west. But the lure of owning their own farm was a strong one. The Homestead Act for Kids. The Homestead Act of 1862 (video)