1. Settling on the Great Plains
Objectives:
Explain the rapid settlement of the Great Plains due to homesteading.
Describe how early settlers survived on the plains and transformed them into profitable farm land.

2. Settlers Move Westward to Farm
Railroads Open the West
From 1850 to 1871, the federal government made huge land grants to the railroads to lay track in the West
Transcontinental Railroad
Attracted many settlers, many of which were European immigrants
Government Support for Settlement
Homestead Act (1862) – Offered 160 acres of land to any citizen who was a head of household
Exodusters – African Americans who moved from the post-Reconstruction South to Kansas
Private speculators and the railroads sometimes used the land for their own gain
Government passed increased legislation to encourage settlers
The Closing of the Frontier
By 1890, continuous settlement and westward expansion had brought about the end of the frontier

3. Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains
Dangers of the Frontier
Frontier settlers faced many hardships
Droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, locusts, outlaws, Native Americans
Dugouts and Soddies
Since trees were scarce, most settlers built their homes from the land itself
Soddies
Women’s Work
Extreme isolation required homesteaders to be self-sufficient
Women often performed the same duties as men
Also sponsored schools and churches

4. Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains
Technical Support for Farmers
Several new technological inventions helped make taming the prairie easier
Steel Plow
John Deere
Reaper
Cyrus McCormick
In 1830, producing a bushel of grain took about 183 minutes
By 1900, with the use of these machines, it took only 10 minutes
Allowed for grain to be more widely available

5. Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains
Agricultural Education
The federal government supported farmers by financing agricultural education
Morrill Act (1862 and 1890) – Gave federal land to the states to help finance agricultural colleges
Helped to develop techniques for farming the dry soil of the prairie
Farmers in Debt
Because machinery was expensive, farmers often had to borrow money to buy it
Bonanza Farms – Enormous single-crop farms
Were unable to deal with drought due to the lack of crop diversification
Bankruptcy
Farmers also had to deal with the rising cost of shipping grain
Railroads exploited Western farmers