West Test part 1 Flashcards
Define subsidy
a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic business/ land grants
Define transcontinental railroad
a railroad that goes across the entire continent
What was a boomtown?
towns that grew big in less than a day near mining sites
How did the government encourage railroads to expand to the West?
by giving railroad companies acres of land, 130 million acre
If the building of the first transcontinental railroad started in 1862, which President would have authorized its construction?
Abraham Lincoln
How did mining and railroads draw people to the West?
because people would make $20 a day which was more than the average salary pays, it was less than a $1; railroads made the movement of people to the west easier and allowed supplies to be moved back and forth with great ease
How did the expansion of railroads to the west change the United States?
the population in the West grew, which allowed states to develop and the country to expand; the landscape changed, resources were gained, time sources were created, ect.
Who was Fred Harvey?
he invented the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels, which served rail passengers, the first chain restaurants
Define cattle drive
a cattle drive was when a farmer would round up all of their cattle and move them to different locations by herding them
Define cowtown
a cow town was a town that sprouted at the end of cattle trails
How did the expansion of railroads help to create a successful cattle industry?
because the farmers would drive their cattle to a railroad station and then send their cattle off east
What contributed to the end of the cattle drives?
overgrazed land and falling prices
Define homestead
to earn ownership of land by settling on it
Define sodbusters.
farmers on the great plains had to adapt to the environment and unusual conditions on the plains, they developed new farming tools and methods
Define sooners
people that came onto land when it was closed to new coming settlers
List at least 3 difficulties faced by Kansas farmers in the late 1800s.
there was less and less land for people to use, the environment, and unusual conditions on the plains
What was the Homestead Act?
the law gave up 160 acres of land to any head of a family that paid a $10 fee and lived on the land for 5 years
What was the Oklahoma Land Rush?
this was when some of the Indian land was given up to americans and 10,000 people lined up to claim it
What was the National Grange (a.k.a. The Grange)?
the first large farmers’ organization was a network of local groups
Define farm cooperative.
stores owned by and operated for the benefit of farmers, these stores had lower prices and provided an outlet for farmers’ crops
