Daily AncestorTimber culture claim
A timber culture claim was a free 160-acre federal land claim earned by planting and growing trees on part of it, under the Timber Culture Act of 1873.
Congress passed the Timber Culture Act in 1873 to get trees growing on the treeless prairies. At first the claimant had to grow trees on 40 of the 160 acres; an 1878 amendment cut that to 10 acres.
These claims are also called tree claims. Many were filed for speculation and never planted, and Congress repealed the act in 1891. A settler might hold a homestead and a timber claim at the same time.
As seen in a recordLand office records, Dakota or Nebraska, 1880s
Timber Culture Entry No. 1592, Wm. Bell, S.W. 1/4 Sec. 8
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Daily Ancestor. "Timber culture claim." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/timber-culture-claim. Last checked 2026-10-10.