Review for Notes Crossing the Continent

What is the word that means “good for growing crops?” Fertile

Name the labeled part on the map: Colorado River

What effect did the reaper have on farming? Farmers were able to produce more crops.

Name the labeled part on the map: Rocky Mountains

How would you describe the terrain (land) west of the Mississippi River? Grasslands, few trees, rugged mountains, deserts.

Another name for buffalo Bison

This was the technology to help pump water from the ground Windmills

What city was the “Gateway to the West”? St Louis, MO

What did pioneers travel on before there were roads out West AND which group of people made this way to travel? Trails created by Native Americans

What did many trails follow through the mountains? Rivers

What did trails eventually create as more and more people settled out West? towns

Who invented the barbed wire? Joseph Glidden

What was the first nickname for the Great Plains? “Great American Desert”

What building material was scarce on the plains and what did pioneers use instead to make houses? Trees were scarce, so people used sod to build houses

What is sod and how did if effect homes in the winter and summers? Sod was thick grass and it made the homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer

What is a drought? A period of little or no rain

Name the labeled part on the map: Great Plains

Who invented the reaper? Cyrus McCormick

Land out West allowed people to own their land and create this kind of opportunity, which involves making money It created ECONOMIC opportunity

Which government Act provided land for RR companies to build the RR lines? Pacific Railway Act

Name the labeled part on the map: Snake River

Which government Act provided 160 acres for 5 years if families improved the land? Homestead Act

Name the thee other major rivers west of the Mississippi River Colorado River Snake River Columbia River

What was the government Act that provided land to states to create agricultural colleges to train people to be better farmers? Morrill Act

What is a homestead and what were the people called who lived there? The homestead is the land and home on which people out west lived The people who lived there were called homesteaders

What was another nickname for the Great Plains once we figured out how good the land was for farming? American Breadbasket

Which two jobs were more permanent for people out West? Ranchers and farmers

Which 2 jobs allowed people to move from place to place- as the resources moved? Miners and fur traders

What was the name of the new technology that allowed farmers to cut wheat much faster than with the scythe? Mechanical reaper

Who invented the steel plow? John Deere/James Oliver

Name the labeled part on the map: Mississippi River

Which new invention allowed settlers to cut through the thick sod? Steel plow

Describe what life was like in a sod house. It was cool in summers/warm in winters Had to deal with bugs and snakes crawling around and on you You were constantly sweeping away dirt Sometimes you put up a sheet to keep the dirt from falling on you while eating or sleeping There were leaks when it rained If you built your house into a hill, sometimes you had “unexpected” guests that would “drop in”

What major effect did barbed wire have on farming? Cattle could no longer trample the farmers’ crops

True or false: “Sooners” were people who jumped the gun in land races to claim their plot of land. True

True or false: The Appalachian Mountains were the rugged mountains you cross as you move out West. False- you cross the Rocky Mountains

Which invention kept the rancher’s cattle out of the farmer’s crops and why? Barbed wire because it was a cheap fencing material

True or false: The Great Plains had great agricultural potential once we developed the technology. True- even though at first we didn’t think so!

True or false: People first settled the Great Plains before settling the West coast. False- we didn’t think the Great Plains had much potential at first so we passed right through them

Name the labeled part on the map: Columbia River

These were able to survive the harsh, terrible winters on the plains because they could grow in cold temperatures. Russian wheat seeds

Which natural resource could you infer would be the most important for settlers to have in order to survive? water

How would you have crossed the country in the 1850s? Most likely by covered wagon on wagon trails since the railroad had not been completed