Viet am
vete a
Ke eth
Dea do ff
a ived
i
Alaska
i
1974
with
a
geog aphy
deg ee
a d
pla s
to
fi d
wo k
with
the
US
Geological
Su vey
o
a othe
employe .
I stead,
the
Califo ia
ative
became
fasci ated
by
the
idea
of
buildi g
a
life
i
the
state’s
emote
wilde ess.
He
t avelled
to
the
Bu eau
of
La d
Ma ageme t
office
i
A cho age,
lea ed
about
homesteadi g
a d
eve tually
claimed
la d
alo g
the
Sto y
Rive
i
southweste
Alaska.
The
decisio
cha ged
the
cou se
of
his
life.
Dea do ff
settled
i
a
isolated
a ea
with
o
ea by
oads,
hu ted
a d
t apped
fo
i come
a d
ope ated
a
small
ge e al
sto e
while
developi g
his
p ope ty.
He
completed
the
equi eme ts
fo
his
homestead
i
1979,
but
his
gove me t
pate t
did
ot
a ive
u til
May
5,
1988.
By
the ,
the
Homestead
Act
had
e ded
fo
ew
claims
i
Alaska.
The
docume t
made
Dea do ff
the
last
pe so
i
US
histo y
to
eceive
a
homestead
title
u de
the
law.
Ke eth
Dea do ff’s
jou ey
f om
Viet am
vete a
to
Alaska
homesteade
Bo
ea
Los
A geles,
Dea do ff
joi ed
the
US
A my
afte
high
school
a d
se ved
i
Viet am,
whe e
he
was
wou ded
i
actio .
Afte
leavi g
the
milita y,
he
etu ed
to
Califo ia
a d
ea ed
a
college
deg ee
i
geog aphy.
I
1974,
he
t avelled
to
Alaska,
i itially
looki g
fo
employme t
a d
hopi g
his
educatio
could
lead
to
wo k
with
the
US
Geological
Su vey
o
a othe
o ga isatio .
His
pla s
cha ged
afte
he
became
i te ested
i
the
fede al
homesteadi g
p og amme.
Dea do ff
visited
the
Bu eau
of
La d
Ma ageme t
office
i
A cho age
to
lea
about
available
la d
a d
eve tually
established
a
homestead
claim
alo g
the
Sto y
Rive
i
southweste
Alaska.
Rathe
tha
pu sui g
the
co ve tio al
ca ee
he
had
o igi ally
imagi ed,
he
chose
to
build
a
ew
life
i
o e
of
the
cou t y’s
most
emote
egio s.
Life
o
a
emote
homestead
alo g
the
Sto y
Rive
Dea do ff’s
ew
home
was
fa
emoved
f om
the
tow s
a d
oads
of
Califo ia.
His
homestead
alo g
the
Sto y
Rive
had
o
ea by
oad
co ecti g
it
to
the
outside
wo ld,
maki g
eve
outi e
t avel
a
difficult
u de taki g.
He
elied
o
boats,
ai c aft
a d
lo g
jou eys
o
foot
to
each
othe
commu ities.
Mail
could
a ive
o ly
about
o ce
a
mo th,
a d
collecti g
it
equi ed
t avelli g
to
a othe
village.
Despite
these
challe ges,
Dea do ff
wo ked
to
make
the
p ope ty
sustai able
a d
developed
seve al
ways
to
suppo t
himself.
He
hu ted
a d
t apped
fu s
a d
established
a
small
ge e al
sto e
o
his
p ope ty
fo
people
t avelli g
alo g
the
Sto y
Rive .
These
activities
helped
him
ea
a
i come
while
he
co ti ued
imp ovi g
the
la d
a d
buildi g
his
isolated
homestead.
F om
clea i g
the
la d
to
completi g
the
homestead
equi eme ts
Buildi g
a
successful
homestead
equi ed
much
mo e
tha
simply
occupyi g
the
p ope ty.
Dea do ff
had
to
imp ove
a d
develop
the
la d
while
meeti g
the
legal
equi eme ts
of
the
Homestead
Act.
He
completed
those
equi eme ts
i
1979,
afte
yea s
of
wo k
i
the
emote
Alaska
wilde ess.
O e
of
the
most
u usual
pa ts
of
that
effo t
i volved
a
1945
Allis-Chalme s
Model
C
t acto
that
he
acqui ed
i
1976.
Because
the e
we e
o
oads
to
his
p ope ty,
the
t acto
was
disma tled
a d
t a spo ted
by
ai c aft
i
th ee
sepa ate
loads
befo e
bei g
hauled
the
emai i g
dista ce
by
dog
sled.
O ce
eassembled,
Dea do ff
used
it
to
help
clea
the
la d,
i cludi g
pulli g
t ee
stumps.
His
wo k
eve tually
allowed
him
to
fulfil
the
equi eme ts
fo
his
homestead.
Why
Dea do ff
had
to
wait
u til
1988
fo
his
title
Although
Dea do ff
completed
the
equi eme ts
fo
his
homestead
i
1979,
the
gove me t
did
ot
issue
his
fi al
pate t
fo
a othe
i e
yea s.
The
delay
was
pa ticula ly
ema kable
because
the
Homestead
Act
was
al eady
ea i g
the
e d
of
its
lo g
histo y.
The
Fede al
La d
Policy
a d
Ma ageme t
Act
of
1976
e ded
homesteadi g
i
the
lowe
48
states
but
gave
Alaska
a
special
10-yea
exte sio .
New
homestead
claims
i
Alaska
could
the efo e
co ti ue
u til
1986.
Dea do ff’s
claim
had
bee
filed
i
1974,
allowi g
his
case
to
co ti ue
th ough
the
gove me t
p ocess
afte
the
p og amme
e ded
fo
ew
claims.
O
May
5,
1988,
he
fi ally
eceived
his
fede al
homestead
pate t,
completi g
a
p ocess
that
had
begu
14
yea s
ea lie
whe
he
fi st
a ived
i
Alaska.
The
last
pe so
to
eceive
a
Homestead
Act
title
Dea do ff’s
1988
pate t
eve tually
became
mo e
tha
a
docume t
p ovi g
ow e ship
of
his
emote
Alaska
p ope ty.
Histo ical
esea ch
completed
i
2001
established
that
he
was
the
fi al
pe so
to
obtai
title
to
a
homesteaded
p ope ty
u de
the
Homestead
Act.
The
Natio al
A chives
also
ide tifies
his
May
5,
1988
pate t
as
the
fi al
homestead
awa ded
u de
the
legislatio .
His
sto y
the efo e
became
the
closi g
chapte
of
a
p og amme
that
had
begu
with
the
Homestead
Act
of
1862
a d
helped
e cou age
settleme t
ac oss
la ge
pa ts
of
the
Ame ica
West.
Dea do ff
late
do ated
objects
co ected
to
his
life
as
a
homesteade ,
i cludi g
his
o igi al
pate t
a d
othe
belo gi gs,
to
Homestead
Natio al
Histo ical
Pa k.
His
t acto
was
ecove ed
f om
Alaska
i
2017
a d
p ese ved,
leavi g
behi d
physical
emi de s
of
Ame ica’s
fi al
homesteadi g
sto y.