1. Settling on the Great Plains
Chapter 13 Section 3

2. I Settlers Flock Westward to Farm A. Railroads Open the West
Fed Gov’t gave land grants to RR to lay track in W
Union & Central Pac. Received 10 sq. miles per track of mile laid
Both hired Civ. War vets., Irish, & Chinese im., Af. Amer., & Mex. Amer. For the grueling labor
8 miles of track per day
Union & Central Pac. Meet in Promontory (Utah) linking the 1st Transcontinental RR
4 more in next 15 yrs  connecting E & W

3. B. Government Support for Settlement
Homestead Act of 1862  thousands of homesteaders = settlers on this free land
Sometimes private speculators & gov’t workers used law for their own gain
Cattlemen fenced & claimed land/RR co. hold land that was given to build extensions and sell it
Kansas gov. opens land to settlement  massive land rush
Some took possession before gov’t officially declared it open Oklahoma AKA the Sooner state

4. C. Closing of the Frontier
Speculator calls Congress to protect land near Yellowstone R. from settlement because of the geysers & nat. springs
Congress set aside land that weould later become Yellowstone National Park
RR forced to give up W land claims but 19 mil. Acres still bought from gov’t
Western frontier was fast disappearing but was very influential to the American identity

5. II Settlers of the Frontier A. Dugouts & Soddies
Trees were scarce  settlers build house from land itself
Dugouts =Dug homes into sides of small hills
Soddy = freestanding house made by stacking blocks prarie turf
Soddies were cool in summer and hot in winter BUT offered little air or light
Perfect for snakes and insects

6. B. Women’s Work
Biggest hardship was being completely self suffient out in he prairie by yourself
Women  most of feeding & clothing family but also sometimes worked alongside men in fields
Also doctored their fam. & others around them
Also sponsored schools & churched to provide for the future

7. C. Technical & Educational Support for Farmers
Building a homestead was diff. work
Prairie sod breaks wooden plows & reaping wheat by hand steel plow
Cyrus McCormick invents reaping machine  sold as farmers migrate to plains
Treeless landscape = no wood for fences  barbed wire
Morrill Land Grant Acts give fed. Land to sttes to help finance agricultural colleges
Hatch Act estab. Agricultural experiment stations to comm. New inventions to farmers in other states
NEW INVENTIONS & ACTS  BREADBASKET OF THE NATION

8. D. Farmers in Debt
Farmers borrow $ to buy expensive farming equip  debt
When $ of wheat was low  raise more crops to make ends meet  Bonanza Farms
Enormous single-crop farms of 10,000 acres or larger
Some farmers mortgaged their land to buy more property  larger farming debts
Drought caused many farms to close
RR charges more $ to trans. Goods from W farms than they did for E farms
RR charged more for shorter hauls that long ones

9. Thinking Through history Questions
How did the RR’s help open the West?
In what ways did governmental policies encourage settlement of the west?
How were women central to the homesteading process?
How did RR’s take advantage of farmers?