Purchasing / taking ownership was not that big a problem. The Homestead Act (the original one and the later one) provided a great opportunity to "prove up" land and then become the owner. Vacant land was in abundance. The real issue was avoiding the scammers who distributed brochures with lies about the quality of the land and the climate, who were supported by the newspapers and the railroads and banks - all of whom had a vested interest in unloading millions of acres. Interest rates were less than 6% through 1929 (when they were less for obvious reasons). The Volga Germans were treated like any other susceptible buyer. There are good discussions on this topic in two great books: The Sod House Frontier 1854- 1890 and The Worst Hard Times . ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.