10 Sodbusters Flashcards
1862 law that proved up to 160 acres of land to settlers who would live on it and farm it for five years
Homestead Act
families who produced enough food to feed themselves, but not enough to sell at market
Subsistence Farmers
the practice of producing a variety of crops and livestock
Diversified farming
an organization formed to buy or sell products as a large group in order to get better prices
Cooperative
someone who buys and sells land, hoping to make a profit, often at great financial risk
Land speculator
This connected small communities to the rest of the world
Railroads
Very successful railroad businessman in Minnesota; nicknamed the “Empire Builder”
James J. Hill
The act of breaking through the tough grass to make the land ready for planting
Sodbusting
The insect that ruined crops during the 1870s
Grasshoppers
The cash crop that was really EASY to cultivate (grow) in Minnesota
Wheat
A building material besides lumber that settlers used to build their homes
Sod
Some examples of crops that the settlers planted during their FIRST years
Potatoes, turnips, corn, (food)
Thick tangled roots of prairie grasses that protected the rich soil below
Sod
An organization in which farming men and women could share their concerns, learn about new ways to succeed on the farm, and enjoy each other’s company
The Grange
These people sometimes cheated farmers by saying their grain wasn’t worth as much as it really was
Railroad Inspectors
