Unit 8 Vocabulary: Cotton, Cattle, Railroads and Closing the Texas Frontier – 1866-1900

subsistence farming – the practice of growing enough crops to provide for one’s family

commercial agriculture – the practice of growing surplus crops to sell for profit

vaqueros – Spanish term for cowboy

vaquero My Own sentence My Own Illustration _________________________

urbanization – the process of increasing human settlement in cities

settlement patterns – the spatial distribution of where humans inhabit the Earth

barbed wire - wire with clusters of short, sharp spikes set at intervals along it, used to make fences or in warfare as an obstruction

barbed wire My Own sentence My Own Illustration _________________________

ranches - a large farm, especially in the western US and Canada, where cattle or other animals are bred and raised

innovation - a new idea, device, or method

innovation My Own sentence My Own Illustration _________________________

Technology - the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry

Stampede - a sudden panicked rush of a number of horses, cattle, or other animals

stampede My Own sentence My Own Illustration _________________________

Textiles - a type of cloth or woven fabric  

Windmill - a mill that converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades

Irrigation - the method in which a controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals for agriculture

irrigation My Own sentence My Own Illustration _________________________

Treaty - a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries