From box:
"In 1862 congress passed the Homestead Act. A United States citizen twenty-one years old could file a claim on 160 acres of public land which he wished to own as a home for himself and his family. If he lived there for five years, had built a house and was raising crop, he was given title to the land."
"The country was wild, the problems faced by the "sod-busters" were great. Many homesteaders gave up before five years had passed. Everyone who succeeded did so through sheer determination and by using every skill or handicraft he could master."
Players take turns drawing cards and playing them onto their Land Tracts. The cards come in 5 colors, one for each year. At the end of the game, players who have a house, crop, and 4 of the 6 other types of cards, without having the claim jumper card, win.