32.3 Cattle Rush and Homesteaders.

Essential Questions What factors led to a boom of the cattle industry? What factors ended the cattle boom? What were the three problems associated with the Homestead Act? What were some of the hardships of settlers in the West?

Cattle Boom, 1860 Cattle roamed the open range, unfenced lands of Texas. -Longhorns, cattle with broad horns. -Spanish first start herding these cattle. Once railroads were built, beef could be shipped to both sides of the country.

Cattle Drives Ranchers needed to take cattle to railroad stops in Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming. -Chisholm Trail & Goodnight-Loving Trail. -Trails could take up to 1000 miles and 2-3 months. Cowhands, Cowboys, Vaqueros hired to move herds of cattle.

Life on the Trail Dangerous -Predator animals, stampedes, extreme weather, fires, and rustlers. Tiring -18 hour days (on saddle). Low Pay -Dollar or less a day.

Vaquero -Spanish or Mexican cowhands. -Americans learn to ride, rope, and brand. -Copied style of dress and equipment. 1/3 were Mexican, another were A.A., and the other were white Civil War Vets.

Cow Towns Towns were cattle drives travelled through or ended. Railroad stops. -Abilene, KS. -Wichita, KS. -Dodge City, KS. Dance halls, saloons, hotels, restaurants. -Drinking, gambling, and fighting was common. -Some towns ban the carrying of pistols. -Myth of the “Wild West”.

Cattle Boom Ends, 1890’s Cattle Kingdom= region where the cattle industry dominated. High profits. -Eastern and European investors. Decline. -Overpopulation -Drought and severe winters. -Depression, drop demand. Settlers closed the open range. -Barbed wire.

Study Guide Page 210, use textbook pg. 464-468.

Homestead Act, 1862 Half a million farmers settle the Great Plains by 1900. Given 160 acre plot to anyone who resided on the land for five years. Homesteader= settlers who received free land from the government. -Little money to move west. -Large companies illegally gained land. -160 acres was not enough land to live off. -1/3 of farmers actually lasted the five years.

Railroads and Farming RR’s want more farms. -More farms meant more western shipping. Gave over 180 million acres of land. -Easterners and European immigrants.

Soddies/ Sodbusters Settlers of the Great Plains. -Hard working. Water is scarce and few crops grew. Sod=surface of earth in which roots of grasses tangled with soil. -Settlers used sod to create homes.

New Farming Methods Steel Plow -Lighter and stronger. Drills-Plant seed. Reapers-Harvest machine Threshers-Beat hard covering of grain. Windmills-Used to pump water. Barbed Wire-Keep cattle from destroying crops.

Exodusters 1000’s of A.A. moving west. -Farmers -Worked in towns. -Hired hands, etc. Compared themselves to the Ancient Jews escaping Egypt, Exodus story.

Spanish Southwest Mexicans that stayed since the Mex-Amer War. Many more coming with the arrival of the railroads. -Help build RR’s. Large Land owners known as ricos. -Claimed and fought to keep land under Spanish and Mexican law.

Oklahoma Land Rush Last land left for settlers. Boomers= people who came to claim land. Sooners= People who sneaked onto the land to claim it. All land claimed by 1893.

Farmers Organize Grains from the Midwest feed people in both the USA and Europe. -Grain prices fall. -Farms taken when debts can’t be paid. Granges formed= groups of farmers who met for lectures, sewing bees, and other events. -Social and educational movements turned into economic protest. -Protested RR’s rates

Cont. Farm Cooperatives= Groups of farmers who pooled money to make large purchases of tools, seeds, and other supplies at a discount. Populist Party, political party that pushed for social reforms. -Public control of RR’s. -Warehouse rate control. -Income Tax, instead of property tax. -Eight-Hour workday. -Change the gold standard to silver, makes more money available. Demo. William Jennings Bryan, populist favorite loses 1896 election.

Study Guide Page 213, use textbook pg. 469-473.

Six C’s Read Grasshoppers Walking, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Textbook pg. 641. Complete a Six C’s of Primary Source Analysis Graphic Organizer