Development of the Plains Flashcards
When was the American Civil War?
1861 - 1865
What did Abraham Lincoln do in 1863?
The Emancipation Proclamation - freed all slaves
When was the transcontinental railroad built?
Between 1862 and 1869
What law allowed this to happen?
Pacific Railroad Act, 1862
What were the houses built by the homesteaders called?
Sod houses
Give two reasons why more people settled on the Plains
The end of the Civil War
The Transcontinental Railroad
Which four laws encouraged settlement on the Plains?
Homestead Act, 1862
The Southern Homestead Act, 1866
The Timber Culture Act, 1873
The Desert Act, 1877
Name three problems faced by the homesteaders
Difficult terrain
Lack of water supply
Lack of building supplies
Name three solutions to the homesteaders’ problems
New machinery (sodbuster) Windmills Tough crops (turkey red wheat)
What cattle was farmed in Texas and on the Plains?
Texas Longhorn
Who completed the first long drive and why?
Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving
Beef was worth more in the East
Name five problems faced on the long drive
Weather Terrain Stampedes Plains Indians attacks Hostile homesteaders
What were the cow towns and who built the first one?
Settlements next to the railroad to provide accommodation and entertainment after the long drive Joseph McCoy (Abilene)
Give five reasons for the development of the Open Range
Increased number of homesteaders
Texas Longhorns could survive on the plains
There was more space
Transcontinental railroad
Interbreeding produced better quality meat, while maintaining tough animals
Name four common crimes in the West
Highway and stage coach robbery
Bank robbery
Train robbery
Shooting
