Changes on the Western Frontier Chapter 5 http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/civil/homested_2 http://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm Changes on the Western Frontier Chapter 5 Section 1: Cultures Clash on the Prairie Section 2: Settling on the Great Plains Section 3: Farmers & the Populist Movement http://students.ou.edu/M/Chad.A.Morris-1/photo.htm http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/highlite/butcher/photos.htm http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngp_farm_threshing.html http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfarm1.htm http://honoringtheinventor.blogspot.com/2008/12/cast-steel-plow.html

Settlers Flock Westward Rapid settlement of the Great Plains was possible because of two factors *Federal Land Policy *Completion of transcontinental railroad lines http://students.ou.edu/M/Chad.A.Morris-1/photo.htm

Impact of the Railroads 1850-1871: huge federal land grants given to railroad companies to encourage building 1st transcontinental railroad – 1869 Railroad sold extra land to farmers Railroads sent recruiters to Europe

Europeans Flock to the West Go West Push Factors: Reasons that people want to leave their home country. *1. Escape Warfare *2. Overpopulation *3. Lack of Economic Opportunity Pull Factors: Reasons that people want to come to a new country. *1. Free Land *2. Economic Opportunity *3. Political and Economic Freedom

Homestead Act 1862 The government would give the head of the household 160 acres free if homesteaders would live and make improvements on the land for 5 years. http://www.archives.gov/research/american-west/#land

Problems with the Act

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam009.html Exodusters http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/images/hofokan.jpg http://www.kshs.org/cool3/exoduster.htm http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/seven/theexodust.htm Kansas invited African Americans from the south to settle in the state. (See poster page 231 or above) Settled in communities across Kansas Nicodemus Benjamin "Pap" Singleton http://www.nps.gov/nico/index.htm Listen to Podcast with the Kansas Historical Society: http://www.kshs.org/audiotours/kansasmemory/019_exodusters.htm http://www.territorialkansasonline.org/~imlskto/cgi-bin/index.php?SCREEN=show_document&document_id=102670&SCREEN_FROM=keyword&selected_keyword=Worrall,%20Henry&startsearchat=0&PHPSESSID=ac8e1ca9b1e6315220d081bf2841b538

Oklahoma Land Grab Race Sooners: Those who snuck into the territory early and claimed land sooner than they should have. The land run started at high noon on April 22, 1889, with an estimated 50,000 people lined up for their piece of the available two million acres (8,000 km²). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1889 Check out the following site for the Native American point of view: http://www.examiner.com/x-4316-Native-American-Community-Examiner~y2009m4d12-The-Oklahoma-Land-Runs

The Closing of the Frontier The Government passed legislation to preserve the environment of the west. * 1872 – Yellowstone National Park *1890’s – Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Mt. Rainer By 1880 individuals had claimed 19 million acres By 1890 the Western frontier was considered gone http://www.hippocampus.org/US%20History%20II

Settlers Meet the Challenges on the Plains Drought Floods Fires Blizzards Insect Infestations Occasional raids by Indians or Outlaws Not all 160 acres were equal in quality http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:2:./temp/~ammem_e6EW::

Dugouts and Soddies Soddies: Freestanding house made of stacked sod blocks cut out of the ground Dugout: Home dug out of a hill or ravine http://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/civil/homested_2 http://www.number09.com/oak_grove/SS_sodbusters.htm

Benefits & Problems Warm in the winter Cool in the summer Fire Proof Small Little air or light Snakes, insect, pests Leaked when it rained http://www.number09.com/oak_grove/Sod12.jpg http://www.number09.com/oak_grove/SS_sodbusters.htm

Women’s Work Lonely Isolated Life http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:1:./temp/~ammem_yxBp:: Lonely Isolated Life People had to be very self-sufficient Feed Family Make Clothing Work in the fields (plowing, planting, harvesting) Care for Animals (cows, hogs, sheep, chickens) Sheer Sheep, card wool, sew or knit clothing from wool Haul water from well Make soap and candles Do laundry by hand Iron clothing Can food Many other things http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:13:./temp/~ammem_yxBp:: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:3:./temp/~ammem_yxBp::

Women’s Work http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:1:./temp/~ammem_mVL9:: http://www.number09.com/oak_grove/Sod6.jpg

Technical and Educational Support for Farmers New Technology made farming easier, less time-consuming, and more profitable New Equipment Steel Plow – 1837 – John Deere Reaper – 1834 – Cyrus McCormick Grain Drill – 1874 Barbed Wire – 1874 Cordbinder (Harvester) 1878 Reaper that could cut and thresh (Fore-runner of Combine) Windmills http://honoringtheinventor.blogspot.com/2008/12/cast-steel-plow.html http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ngp:2:./temp/~ammem_GTgr::

Educational Support Morrill Land Grant Act 1862 and 1890 Gave federal land to states to help finance agricultural colleges. Passed on July 2, 1862, this act made it possible for new western states to establish colleges for their citizens. The new land-grant institutions, which emphasized agriculture and mechanic arts, opened opportunities to thousands of farmers and working people previously excluded from higher education. Hatch Act 1887 Established agricultural experimental stations to communicate new developments in agriculture to farmers in every state. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=33#

Farming Innovations Development of grains for arid land Dry farming techniques http://www.hippocampus.org/US%20History%20II

Farmers in Debt

Bonanza Farms Enormous single crop spreads of 15,000 to 50,000 acres Why did the big farms fail? * The couldn’t compete with small farmers who were more flexible in the types of crops they grew * Droughts