Life on the Plains

Homestead Act Homestead Act— Oklahoma Land Rush— passed in 1862 to encourage settlement of plains area gave 160 acres of land if improved in lived on for 5 years Oklahoma Land Rush— 1893 biggest giveaway in history, all types of people raced for the free land

New Technology Deeper wells Steel plows: John Deere Better farm equipment -reaper and harvesters by McCormick, windmills, barbed wire, steel mill Morrill Land Grants: gave land to establish agricultural and tech colleges, encouraged settlement of west RR expansion

LIFE ON THE FARM Sod houses: made from blocks of sod, less than $10 to build Weather extremes: drought, fire, flood, dust storms Animals: bugs ravaged crops Isolation: far away from people Trials: many were not experienced It was a hard life to settle on the plains!

Decline of Farming Rise of industry— technology increases output Urbanization— more and more move to cities End of the frontier— settlement = territory = state Frederick Jackson Turner: “Frontier Thesis” essay on how frontier life shaped American culture Great debts— land was cheap, but settling and farming was expensive Railroads charges– most farmers can barely pay the RR rates

Review Questions! Inventions such as barbed wire, the steel plow, and the reaper Led to the development of bonanza farms Had no effect on western farmers Impacted miners in Alaska Allowed more people to work in the factories

2. Sod houses a. were commonly found on the East Coast b. were developed by Cyrus McCormick c. were built out of the soil of the western prairies d. convinced Americans to move west

3. The Morrill Act a. offered 160 acres of land to Native Americans b. offered 160 acres of land to white Americans c. established the national park system d. gave federal land to the states to help finance agricultural colleges

4. Railroads influenced the development of the West by a. making travel and trade across the country easier b. giving farmers a way to ship their crops east c. connecting western cattle ranchers with the Chicago stockyards d. all of the above

5. The Homestead Act a. offered 160 acres of land to any citizen willing to settle and improve the land b. offered land to Native Americans willing to adopt farming c. attracted miners to Nevada d. provided funds for farmers to purchase equipment such as barbed wire and plows

6. What impact did the introduction of the mechanical reaper have on agriculture in the West? It brought an end to the open range It allowed farmers to harvest more wheat It helped sheep ranchers produce more wool It prevented crop dehydration