Following the Civil War, many Americans and Europeans continued to move into the WEST

Why do you think someone would want to move west in 1860?

“as far as the eye can see… millions of acres of treeless grassland.” Between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains

Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west Land eroded by wind and water Low rainfall Frequent dust storms

Only 20 inches of rain per year Home to the buffalo – can survive in dry climate (sacred to the Native Americans) High winds stir up dust and create dust storms

1.New beginning for freedmen 2.Opportunities to own land 3.Treasure – discovery of gold and silver 4.Desire for adventure 5.New Technology –people could live in challenging environments

Opportunities for Land 1.21 years old, or head of family 2.US citizens or filing for 3.Build a certain size home and live for 6 months 4.Farm the land for five consecutive years Homestead Act (1862) – government incentive that gave 160 acres (1/4 sq. mi.) if met certain requirements:

Towns called BOOMTOWNS grew over night Miners came from all over Town life was expensive Violence was part of BOOMTOWN life

No more gold!! A lot of people moved to new sites or back home Now called ghost towns

Who likes adventure??? The West was exciting and new - People flocked to the West for adventure

Because of new inventions, people saw the Great Plains not as a “treeless wasteland” but as a vast area to be settled. 1.Dry Farming 2. Wheat Farming 3. Steel Plow 4. Windmills 5. Mechanical Reaper 6. Beef Cattle Raising 7. Barbed Wire 8. Railroads 9. Sod Houses

Type of farming that allows farmers to farm without much water. Plant the seeds deeper to get more water Popular crops = wheat, corn, and watermelon

Wheat doesn’t need much water Wheat can be made into flour which is non- perishable and can be used to make bread and cereal

Great Plain soil was rocky Wooden plows weren’t strong enough Harder steel made the plow work

Water-pumping Windmills: Provided water for people and animals due to little rainfall 1.Wind turns the blades of the windmill 2.A long rod that runs down the tower moves the handle of a pump up and down 3.The water flows into an open wooden box called a trough

Mechanical Reaper (mower) reduced farm labor needs and increased production

Some areas good for cow (cattle) Texas became the center of cattle ranching People in the East wanted to eat beef

Barbed wire was used for fencing large ranches and farms Built quickly and was cheap Wood fences were expensive and hard to get (few trees for wood)

Sod = the top layer of soil and grass Houses made out of sod (dirt) Sod was used on the walls and roof (placed over wood beams)

Made it easier to go west Farmers could ship their crop to the east Transcontinental Railroad – linked the East to the West (from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean) Transported people and goods Made trade easier Started building factories in the West

Two Railroads: Union Pacific and Central Pacific -Union Pacific: began in Omaha, Nebraska (blue) - Central Pacific: began in Sacramento, California (red) -“Meet me in the Middle” May 10, 1869: UP and CP met at Promontory Point, Utah…Leland Stanford, gov. of California, drove the last spike.

WHO BUILT THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD? Union Pacific – 8,000 Irish and African Americans Central Pacific – 10,000 Chinese

Invented by Samuel Morse THINK MORSE CODE 1.Allowed people to communicate across long distances. 2.Messages could travel across the country in a matter of minutes.