While homesteading had been a key part of settling Arizona since the 1870’s, it
was between the 1912 and 1930 that the Dry Farming Homestead Act resulted in a significant
population increase across the western desert. Here growth occurred almost overnight
beginning in the 1920’s and it continues today.
Please respect the remaining homestead
buildings. Since they are over 50 years old, in Arizona this age makes them historic.
Also, generally these homesteads are on private land. Take nothing but pictures
- rule.
Many homesteads were small, simple, tents or wood structures on a crude
cement surface. Many homesteaders moved after they had ‘proved up’ and had acquired
the federal land over a three year period.
Wood was rare and valuable so many
structures were ‘removed’ by neighbors. The few that remain today are usually
small rock and mortar structures. This
set of photographs of Western Desert homesteads
was collected as part of a basic historic research project by members of the Tonopah
Area Coalition in connection to the annual PVNGS calendar.
Do you have historic connections to the Western Desert? Email WDA and share
your family history, recollections, or historic information on homesteading, mining,
farming or ranching. Were you a student at Volcano School near Centennial Wash,
Arizona? Let us know.
