# Vietnam veteran became last US homesteader in Alaska 2026-08-14T17:30:02+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Kenneth Deardorff, a Vietnam veteran who moved to Alaska in 1974, became the last person in US history to receive a homestead title under the Homestead Act of 1862. He received his patent on May 5, 1988, after completing requirements in 1979. He settled along the Stony River in southwestern Alaska, where there were no roads. He hunted, trapped furs, and ran a small store for income. Deardorff earned a geography degree after military service and originally sought work with the US Geological Survey. Instead, he filed a homestead claim in 1974. The Homestead Act ended for new claims in Alaska in 1986, but his earlier claim allowed completion. He used a 1945 tractor flown in pieces and hauled by dogsled. The National Archives identifies his patent as the final one awarded. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Alaska, Bureau of Land Management, Homestead Act Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vietnam-veteran-became-last-us-homesteader-in-alaska/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vietnam-veteran-became-last-us-homesteader-in-alaska/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.