The Economic Times

In 1974, a mother claimed 116 acres in Alaska. 10 years later, she became the last woman in America to receive a homestead patent

In 1984, Elizabeth Smith solidified her place in history as America's final female homesteader, claiming 116.32 acres near Big Delta, Alaska. Under a diminishing homesteading program, she dedicated a decade to enhancing and cultivating this land, marking the culmination of a 123-year experiment in the distribution of land to hopeful pioneers, representing a significant shift in American agricultural history.