1. Settling the Plains

2. After the Civil War, millions of people in the south were poor and landless
Homestead Act – You can have 160 acres for free if you live on it for 5 years and improve it
Many African Americans the Great Plains after the Civil War
The Railroads were growing making It easier to head west

3. New Technology
The steel plow allowed farmers to break up the thick sod
Windmills made it possible to get water from deep underground
Barbed wire made it possible for farmers to fence in their land
Reapers & threshers – helped harvest crops

4. Sod Houses
The lack of trees on the Plains made it necessary to use sod as a building material.
It also meant burning Buffalo and cow dung “chips” for heat

5. Hazards of Farming on the Plains
Farmers had to deal with blizzards, fires, hailstorms, tornados, drought, & locusts.
Railroads charges high fees to ship farmer’s grain to market.

6. Cities & Towns
Cities and towns grew up along railroads or near valuable resources.
Railroads connected them to the major markets in the east