Homestead National Monument of America is located four miles west of Beatrice on State Highway 4, Beatrice, Nebraska. During the summer season theHeritage Center, Education Center,and otherbuildings are open daily from 8.30am to 5pm, and during the rest of the year they open weekdays from 8.30am to 5pm and weekends from 9am to 5pm. The trail system and parking lot open fromdawn to dusk every day the park is open and the whole attraction is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
This is the homestead site of Daniel Freeman, America's first claimant of the 160 acres of free land granted to those willing to help settle the west. The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most revolutionary ideas for distributing public land in American history. Signed in to law by Abraham Lincoln the act released huge amounts of the public domain to private citizens with 270 millions acres, or 10 percent of the area of the United States claimed and settled upon as a result.
The history of the act and its ramifications are explained through interactive exhibits in the Heritage Center. Subjects covered here include how the act impacted immigration, agriculture, industrialization, native tribes, the tall grass prairie ecosystem and Federal land policies. Outside the entrance to the center is a Living Wall, which shows the percentage of land in each state that was successfully claimed after the Homestead Act was passed as law.
There is plenty to see at the 24 acre site including the second oldest tall grass prairie in the United States, as well as 116 species of plants and many animals.Hiking trails take visitors through the prairie and into the large woodland area, which features a creek housing many species of wildlife. TheEducation Center hasa state-of-the-art multi-purpose room for exhibits and guest speakers as well as having a display of 19th century and early 20th century farm implements.
Amongst the wildlife found at the park visitors may encounter white-tailed deer, coyotes, red fox, otters, weasels, badgers, raccoons, shrews, nine different kinds of bats and two dozen different kinds of rodents. Many types of grassland and woodland birds can be found here too with woodpeckers, owls, turkeys, geese and pheasant as well as birds of prey like hawks and kestrels. The creek is a good habitat for fish such as bass, carp and catfish, whilst amphibians will also be seen here with toads, frogs and even a tiger salamander.
School field trips are welcome here with curriculum based educational materials produced at the monument to assist teachers. Part of the trip would include visits to the Heritage Center to find items relevant to the homesteading movement, and a chance for students to dress up and carry out the chores of a homesteader by way of a relay race. A 45 minute trail walk through the prairie can be arranged too with the help of a ranger.
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