Homesteaders Tackling Issues Flashcards
How did railroads make Homesteads lives easier?
-Homesteaders could visit people much more easily and cheaply than before, which reduced the isolation of homestead life.
-Homesteaders could order manufactured products that made life easier
-towns sprang up at regular distances along the railroads, which gave homesteaders a place to meet each other, compare farming ideas, sell crops and buy products and access entertainment
When was the “self- governing” windmill invented and when did it get steel blades?
1854
1870 - steel blades
What was the purpose of the windmill?
they were used to pump water out of the ground to help farmers irrigate their land and make it more fertile for crops
What were the advantages and problems with windmills?
Pros: - could pump water out of quite deep wells (up to 30m)
- in 1870 steel blades meant the windmills could stand up better to the strong prairie
Cons: - not powerful enough to pump up water from VERY deep wells (more than 30m) and needed constant maintenance
- it was not until the 1880s that these problems were overcome
When was the barbed wire invented?
1874
What was the purpose of barbed wire?
used to fence off crops to protect them from livestock and other animals
what were the advantages and problems of barbed wire?
Pros: - much cheaper than buying timber for fences
-more effective at blocking livestock than smooth-wire fencing
Cons : - not widely used until 1880s
-early types broke and rusted
-in 1874, it was ten times more expensive than the 1880s
When was the sulky plough invented?
1875
what was the purpose of the sulky plough?
strong ploughs were used to plough up the tough weeds and prairie grass on the great plains
What were the advantages and problems of the sulky plough?
Pros: - very strong, easy to operate, ride-on steel plough that made ploughing up tough weeds and prairie grass much easier
- 50,000 ploughs were sold in the first 6 years of production
Cons: - six times as many “walking” ploughs were sold in the same period - these were cheaper and farmers understood them
- early sulkies were unstable and could tip up
What did the Mennonites (migrants from Russia) discover and how did this affect farming on the plains?
-they discovered that “Turkey red” wheat grew well on their Kansas farms
-Soon farmers with good land were able to export grain, which was a major boost to settlement on the Plains
When was the timber culture act established?
1873
What was the problem with the 160 acres allocated in the Homestead act?
it could not support the average family
How did the timber culture act solve the problems of land holdings being too small?
it allowed a homesteader to claim a further 160 acres if they promised to plant trees on a quarter of it.
why were trees important ( timber culture act) (3)
-act as a “wind break” as it slowed down the Great Plains winds to shelter crops from damage
-provided settlers with timber for building houses, fences and furniture, and for repairing equipment
-provide settlers with fuel
What was the significance of the timber culture act 1873?
By 1878, 16 million acres had been claimed under this act
What did homesteaders use for fuel as an alternative to timber?
dried cattle and buffalo dung
What natural disasters did Homesteaders face?
-Pests, such as grasshoppers, could destroy a whole seasons’ crop
-Prairie fires spread quickly and burnt everything
-there were no solutions to the problems
Which act (apart from timber culture act) also solved the problem of land holdings being too small and what did the act do?
The desert Land Act 1877 let settlers buy 640 acres of desert land cheaply
Due to lack of timber, there was nothing to build houses with. What was the solution to this?
people built sod houses made from blocks of earth
What increased the problem of disease?
sod houses were hard to keep clean and has no sanitation
How was the problem of disease solved?
women cared for the sick, using their own remedies
as communities grew, doctors arrived
why was their a lack of education?
most homesteads were too far from towns with school
How was the problem of lack of education solved?
women taught the young
As communities grew, single female teachers arrived and schools developed
