About

In 1938 a new type of homesteading, created by the Small Tract Act, allowed veterans to obtain land in the west for health reasons. Veterans of World War I, suffering the effects of chemical gases, like mustard gas, came hoping to benefit from the clean, dry desert air which was better for the lungs than the humid, polluted air of the East Coast. These small homes that sprung up around the Californian deserts are commonly called Jackrabbit Cabins. Veterans did not need to meet the requirements of the Homesteading Act to take advantage of the Small Tract Act as the act was created to meet the …