1. Think! Homes for families on the Plains - Homesteaders The Open Range for young men - the Cattle trails and Cowboys

2. How are the late settlers different to the early settlers? Think! - Land - the early settlers moved as far west as they could: Gold miners - California First Farmers - Oregon Mormons - Great Salt Lake The late settlers wanted a lot of land in and around the Plains and down towards the southern states (Texas). (see map next page!)

3. California - Gold Oregon - Farms Great Salt Lake - Mormons The Plains - Plains Indians first, then Homestea- ders Texas and Plains - Cattlemen and Cowboys

4. Your Task You need to create a mind map on the Homesteaders You must include 1) Who became homesteaders 2) Why they went west 3) where they settled 4) Relationship with other settlers and Indians 5) Problems they faced 6) How they overcame the problems 7) Significant Factors that helped them to settle

6. Sodhouses (dirt, dried grass, infested) Poor quality land - prairie, dry Extended families Bad weather, wind, rain, hot sun Lack of wood for building Role for men and women Back break -ing farm work

7. Pull factors Offer of land Start of a new life / adventure Advertising by railroad companies Letters from those already living there Push factors People came from Europe escaping poor quality land, poverty, unemployment, persecution (Jews from Russia) Soldiers returning from the civil war Ex-salves seeking a new life away from slavery Economic problems, failure of crops, people hungry

8. Who were the Homesteaders? Railroad 1869 Homestead Act 1862 Timber Culture Act 1873 Wind Pump Government Action Desert Land Act 1877 Barbed Wire 1874 Claim Jumping Staking Claim Prairie Fires Women Homesteaders You have 5 mins in your pairs to discuss and define these key words and phrases for the Homesteaders

9. How did they overcome their problems?

10. The Solutions!

11. What were the other Land Acts? Government responded to critcism of Homestead Act Timber Culture Act – 1873 Up to 480 acres of land as long as planted at least 40 acres of trees Made Homesteads bigger and more likely to make a profit Desert Land Act - 1877 Up to 640 acres in areas where the rainfall was a problem Had to irrigate land

13. Which Factors were most significant in helping the Homesteaders settle on the Great Plains? Government? New Technology? New Farming Techniques? Better Law and Order? Indians being moved to Reservations? The Railroad? Hard work? Women Homesteaders? Anything else?