1. Settling on the Great Plains
Notes:
Chapter 5 Section 2

2. I.) Railroads Help Settlers Move West
Federal land policy + transcontinental railroads =
rapid settlement of the west!
federal govt. make huge land grants to RR
Two railroad companies race to lay track:
1. Union Pacific
2. Central Pacific

3. D. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific tracks meet in Promontory, Utah May (Transcontinental) E. The workers: 1. Civil War vets 2. Irish 3. Chinese 4. African Americans

4. II.) Government Help Settlers Move West
Homestead Act of act passed by Congress offering 160 acres of free land to any citizen or head of household
over 600,000 families took advantage
2. Exodusters- African-Americans who moved from the south to Kansas
Problems:
1. Railroads & Govt. gobble up land
2. Cattlemen fence off land
3. miners & woodcutters claim natural resources

5. C. Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889-as part of the Homestead Act, federal govt. offers a major land giveaway in Oklahoma 1. in less than one day settler claim 2 million acres

6. III.) Closing of the Frontier
In 1872 federal govt. creates Yellowstone National Park
In 1879 federal govt. railroad companies forced to give up landholdings in the West
In 1890 Census Bureau declared the frontier no longer existed

7. IV.) Life on the Plains
Settlers face droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, raids by outlaws, and Native Americans
Trees are scarce = build home from land itself
1. Soddy- home made by settlers by sod
Women’s Role
1. worked the land, prepared food, cared for home, and raised the children

8. V.) Agriculture Support
1837 John Deere invents steel plow
1847 Cyrus McCormick invents reaping machine
1869 Spring-tooth Harrow to prep soil
1841 Grain drill to plant seed
1874 Joseph Glidden invents barbed wire
1878 Corn binder and reaper
Outcome:
1. more grain available to wider market
bushel took 183 mins.
1900 bushel took 10 mins.

9. VI.) Agricultural Farmers
A.) Morrill Act of 1862 & federal govt. gives land to states to establish agricultural colleges B.) Hatch Act of established experiment stations for development of new agricultural tools 1. Great Plains nickname: “the Breadbasket of the Nation”

10. Farmers debts rise
Cause & Effect of Prices:
1. price of wheat high = farmers can repay loans
price of wheat low = farmers need to raise more crops to
meet financial needs
Cost of shipping rises
1. railroads charge high fees to ship