Homesteaders paid $18 to file a claim to the land.
Homesteaders paid $18 as a filing fee to claim ownership of the land. To arrive at this answer, we can look at the historical context of homesteading. Homesteading in the United States was a process by which settlers could acquire land from the government, usually in the western territories. In order to claim a piece of land, homesteaders had to file a claim and pay a fee. The fee was set at $18, which would be equivalent to around $442 in today's currency. So, homesteaders paid $18 to file a claim and initiate the process of acquiring ownership of the land.
