1. The Late Settlers Think!
Homes for families on the Plains - Homesteaders
The Open Range for young men - the Cattle trails and Cowboys

2. What might you be asked? YOU MUST BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING!
What attracted Homesteaders to the Plains?
How did they manage to farm and live on the Plains? (What were the problems, how did they overcome them?)
What factors (eg. Government / Railroad) helped them settle on the Plains?

3. How are the late settlers different to the early settlers?
Think! - Land - the early settlers moved as far west as they could:
Gold miners - California
First Farmers - Oregon
Mormons - Great Salt Lake
The late settlers wanted a lot of land in and around the Plains and down towards the southern states (Texas) (see map next page!)

4. Late Early The Plains - Plains Indians first, then Homestea-ders
Oregon - Farms
Great Salt Lake -Mormons
Texas and Plains - Cattlemen and Cowboys
California - Gold

5. What does this source tell us about the lives of Homesteaders?

6. Sodhouses (dirt, dried grass, infested)
Lack of wood for building
Poor quality land - prairie, dry
Back break-ing farm work
Role for men and women
Bad weather, wind, rain, hot sun
Extended families

7. So why did families bother moving there
in the first place?
Pull factors
Offer of land
Start of a new life / adventure
Advertising by railroad companies
Letters from those already living there
Push factors
People came from Europe escaping poor quality land, poverty, unemployment, persecution (Jews from Russia)
Soldiers returning from the civil war
Ex-salves seeking a new life away from slavery
Economic problems, failure of crops, people hungry

8. The Homestead Act
Settlers allowed to have free of charge 160 acres of land
The terms stated that homesteaders had to build a house on the land and live there for five years. After that time they would receive the deeds to land.
the act was extended through the Timber Culture Act. This provided another 160 acres of land as long as 40 acres were planted with trees. This was later reduced to 10 acres.

9. The sort of houses built for land speculators to acquire land

10. Problems with the Homestead Act
Critics said the amount of land was to small for a family to survive
Land was more or less fertile depending where you were
Land speculators got their employees to apply for land and then buy it off them to sell for higher profits
What was good about the Homestead Act?
It became possible for Homesteaders to get as much as 480 acres of land. This meant families could make more profit.
This was further extended to 640 acres.
It played a significant part in encouraging settlement on the Plains.

11. What were the other Land Acts?
Government responded to critcism of Homestead Act
Timber Culture Act – 1873
Up to 480 acres of land as long as planted at least 40 acres of trees
Made Homesteads bigger and more likely to make a profit
Desert Land Act
U 640 acres in areas where the rainfall was a problem
Had to irrigate land

12. The many problems faced living on the Plains.
Can you remember any of the solutions?

13. A quick clue ...

14. The solutions!

15. Why was the
role of
women so
important on
the Homestead?