Lydia Lavalle
Minnie Lavalle-Shipton
Bottineau 1900
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Women of all ages and marital status took advantage of the opportunities homesteading offered. Applicants had to be at least 21 years old. Women could file in their own name if they were single, widowed, or divorced. If they were married, the land was entered under the husband's name unless the wife could prove that she was the head of the household. Motivations to "take a claim" included investment, speculation, adventure, and security, but the final decision was often arrived at as a result of encouraging words from friends or relatives.

Sisters Minnie and Lydia homesteaded adjoining quarter-sections. They lived in a single shack built on both sides of the dividing line. Lydia proved up. She kept her land and invested in more property later on. Minnie "relinquished" her claim (sold her rights to someone else before completing the requirements) just before she married. Over the years, she continued to have a feeling for this piece of land, and years later, as a widow, she returned to look once more upon the homestead that had almost been hers.

(Courtesy: May Girard, Carson, WA)

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