Settling on the Great Plains Objectives: Explain the rapid settlement of the Great Plains due to homesteading. Describe how early settlers survived on the plains and transformed them into profitable farm land.

Settlers Move Westward to Farm Railroads Open the West From 1850 to 1871, the federal government made huge land grants to the railroads to lay track in the West Transcontinental Railroad Attracted many settlers, many of which were European immigrants Government Support for Settlement Homestead Act (1862) – Offered 160 acres of land to any citizen who was a head of household Exodusters – African Americans who moved from the post-Reconstruction South to Kansas Private speculators and the railroads sometimes used the land for their own gain Government passed increased legislation to encourage settlers The Closing of the Frontier By 1890, continuous settlement and westward expansion had brought about the end of the frontier

Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains Dangers of the Frontier Frontier settlers faced many hardships Droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, locusts, outlaws, Native Americans Dugouts and Soddies Since trees were scarce, most settlers built their homes from the land itself Soddies Women’s Work Extreme isolation required homesteaders to be self-sufficient Women often performed the same duties as men Also sponsored schools and churches

Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains Technical Support for Farmers Several new technological inventions helped make taming the prairie easier Steel Plow John Deere Reaper Cyrus McCormick In 1830, producing a bushel of grain took about 183 minutes By 1900, with the use of these machines, it took only 10 minutes Allowed for grain to be more widely available

Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains Agricultural Education The federal government supported farmers by financing agricultural education Morrill Act (1862 and 1890) – Gave federal land to the states to help finance agricultural colleges Helped to develop techniques for farming the dry soil of the prairie Farmers in Debt Because machinery was expensive, farmers often had to borrow money to buy it Bonanza Farms – Enormous single-crop farms Were unable to deal with drought due to the lack of crop diversification Bankruptcy Farmers also had to deal with the rising cost of shipping grain Railroads exploited Western farmers