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As early as 1867, bills were introduced in Congress to encourage irrigation and reclamation of unproductive land and, in 1877, the Desert Land Act linked irrigation to grants of public land. Congress also authorized studies of the Westâs geology and water supply, which culminated in comprehensive reports.
exists and is an alternate of . The Homestead Act gave a white intrusion of into the previously reserved Indian territory of Oklahoma. Also during The Homestead Act, Indian attacks were rare. Many new settlers gave the Indians food and goods to keep the peace. Yet fraud was common and most of the best land went to railroads and other corporations. By the late 1860's the numbers of buffalo had declined.