Farming on the Great Plains Flashcards
What was the homestead act of 1862?
Allowed each family 160 acres of land for free if they lived and farmed on it for five years. Encouraged settling in the west.
Why did homesteaders settle on the plains?
Actions of the U.S. Government:
- homestead act passed 1862
- timber culture Act 1875
- desert land act 1877
End of the American Civil War:
- lasted from 1861-65
- end of war, thousands of soldiers and families looking to rebuild lives as well as newly freed black slaves, all travelled to west
Transcontinental Railroads:
- two companies started, one from East one from west 1860s
- met in middle in Utah
- easier for people to get to plains
- land either side of tack was cheaper, flood of homesteaders arrived.
What was the timber culture act of 1873?
Gave families another free 160 acres of land if they planted 40 acres with trees.
What was the desert land act of 1877?
Gave settlers the right to buy 640 acres of land cheaply where lack of rainfall was a problem.
What were the positive impacts on the white Americans from the railroads being built in the 1860’s?
- allowed better and faster communication
- provided quick and easy trade with East
- made travelling from East to west quicker and safer
- encouraged spread of cattle on to the plains
- transported raw materials to help settlers on the plains’ living easier
- provided jobs on the plains
- encouraged development of new towns
- allowed more effective law and order, made it easier to pursue criminals
What were the negative impacts on the plains Indians from the railroads being built in the 1860’s?
- made it easier for army to chase them
- brought white settlers into Indian land
- encouraged spews of cattle onto the plains
- restricted their movement across the plains
- split the Indian lands
- frightened the buffalo and gave White American hunters easy access to herds
- buffalo killed to feed railway workers and by passengers for fun
What were the roles that the U.S. Government played in the railroads being built in the 1860’s?
- gave loans of $16,000 for each mile of railroad built in flat country
- gave loans and grants of $32,000 for each mile of railroad built in foothills
- gave loans and grants of $48,000 for each mile of railroad built in the mountains
- gave railroad companies strips of land next to track, could be sold to settlers to bring in more money.
What were the problems homesteaders had with living on the plains and their solutions?
Problem: water shortages
Diff for people to keep themselves and clothing clean
Failure of crops, bankruptcy, starvation
Solution: wind mills to pump water
Problem: extreme weather
Uncomfortable
Damaged or destroyed crops
Solution: ploughed land after heavy rain to trap moisture in soil
Problem: fuel
No wood to burn for heating and cooking
Solution: used buffalo or cow poo
Problem: rare building materials
Only earth, boards, grass, sods and mud
Solution: sometimes transported from East to those who could afford it
Problem: ploughing
Plains never ploughed before, tangled roots, ploughing slow
Solution: John Deere invented strong plough (‘sod-buster’)
Problem: protecting crops
No fencing to protect from livestock
Solution: Joseph glidden invented barbed wire 1874, cheap and effective
Problem: growing crops
Crops they were used to were not well suited to plains weather conditions
Solution: used Turkey red wheat, grew better
Explain the role of women in homesteading.
- planted new sources of food and crops
- cooking
- washing and drying
- made clothes
- made basics e.g. Dairy, candles, soap
- treated illnesses with homemade remedies
- collected cattle Chips, dung, for fuel
- taught children in schools
- looked after children, whole family and animals
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of sod houses.
Advantages:
- warm in winter + cool in summer
- cheap to build
Disadvantages:
- water leaked in when rained
- difficult to keep clean
- sometimes collapsed
- had many pests and insects
- damp and dirty
