<P> Settlers found land and staked their claims, usually in individual family units, although others formed closer knit communities . Often, the homestead consisted of several buildings or structures besides the main house . </P> <P> The Homestead Act of 1862 gave rise later to a new phenomenon, large land rushes, such as the Oklahoma Land Runs of the 1880s and 90s . </P> <P> The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ended homesteading; by that time, federal government policy had shifted to retaining control of western public lands . The only exception to this new policy was in Alaska, for which the law allowed homesteading until 1986 . </P> <P> The last claim under this Act was made by Ken Deardorff for 80 acres (32 ha) of land on the Stony River in southwestern Alaska . He fulfilled all requirements of the homestead act in 1979 but did not receive his deed until May 1988 . He is the last person to receive title to land claimed under the Homestead Acts . </P>

Who did the government give 150 million acres of land called land grants to