13 Section 2

A. Settlers Move Westward to Farm 1.Intro: a.Federal land policy and railroad made it possible 2.Railroads Open the West a.Land grants given to railroads b.Central Pacific moved East (from California) c.Union Pacific moved West (from Nebraska) d.Built by 1.Civil War veterans 2.Irish 3.Chinese 4.African Americans 5.Mexican Americans e.Most settlers in the west in 1880’s were immigrants

3.Government Support for Settlement a.Homestead Act – 160 acres of land free to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household b.Exodusters – African Americans who moved from post- Reconstruction South to Kansas c.Private speculators, railroads, and government agents used this for their own gain d.Cattlemen fenced open land e.Miners and woodcutters claimed national resources f.10% land used for what it was intended g.Not all plots of equal value (why?) h.1889 land giveaway in Oklahoma attracted thousands to the “Sooner State”

4. The Closing Frontier a.Settlers gobbled Western land b.Washburn and Langford asked for protection of wilderness c.Yellowstone National Park was created d.Government took ownership of large land plots but even most of it was sold privately e.The frontier was gone

B. Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains 1.Introduction – settlers faced hardships a.Droughts b.Floods c.Fires d.Blizzards e.Locust plagues f.Raids

2. Dugouts and Soddies a.Dugout - homes built from land b.Soddy – homes made from prairie turf

3. Women’s Work a.Worked beside men in fields 1.Plowing 2.Planting 3.Harvesting b.Sheared sheep c.Carded wool to make clothes d.Hauled water from wells (they helped dig) e.Cooked f.Canned food g.Skilled at “doctoring” h.Sponsored schools and churches

4. Technical Support for Farmers a.1837 – John Deere invented steel plow b.1847 – Cyrus McCormick mass produced reaping machine c.Other devices: 1.Spring-tooth harrow 2.Grain drill 3.Barbed wire 4.Reaper d.Inventions allowed more grain available for wider market

5. Agricultural Education 1.Financed by federal government 2.Morrill Act – federal land to states to finance agricultural colleges 3.Hatch Act – established agricultural experiment stations to inform farmers of new developments a.Developed grains for arid soil b.Techniques for dry farming

6. Farmers in Debt 1.Farmers had to borrow $$$ for machinery 2.When prices were higher they could pay back loans 3.When prices fell, they needed to raise more crops to make ends meet 4.Bonanza farming – railroad and investors created enormous single-crop spreads 5.Some farmers mortgaged land to buy more property (leading to more debt) 6.Drought caused the bonanza farms to fold (why?) 7.Cost of grain increasing 8.Railroads charged more for short hauls