FARMING THE FRONTIER 1. GOVERNMENT LAND POLICIES A. Homestead Act of 1862 160 acres of land Had to farm it for 5 years Had to pay a small fee B. Timber Culture Act Additional 160 acres of land Had to plant trees on at least 40 acres

Had to attempt to irrigate C. DESERT LAND ACT (to encourage settlement of the Southwest) 640 acres of land Had to attempt to irrigate

II. LIFE ON THE PLAINS A. LACK OF TREES Could not build houses Could not build fences Could not keep fires for cooking and heat

C. Fuel B. HOUSES Made out of blocks of hardened soil (sod houses) Dugouts- houses built into the soil--looked like caves C. Fuel Cow dung Old grain

I'm tired! I've had it! D. ROLE OF THE PIONEER WOMAN 1. Use anything to fix up the house: buffalo skins bits of cloth to make:quilts, rugs, wall paper, and curtains I'm tired! I've had it! Collected cow chips for fuel Drew water for bathing and cooking Made and laundered clothes Made meals Took care of children Helped husband in the field

III. FARMING ON THE PLAINS CLIMATE 1. Freezing winters 2. Scorching summers SOIL 1. Very hard 2. Difficult to plow

D. INVENTIONS C. LACK OF WATER E. IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION By 1880s farmers used windmills Dry farming-plow deep into the soil Developed drought resistant crops D. INVENTIONS Steam powered machinery Corn shell machine Fertilizer spreader E. IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION Farmers could now sell worldwide More products were needed

F. PROBLEMS Grasshoppers in 1874 devoured everything from Texas to the Dakotas Prairie fires Starvation Low prices for crops High cost of transportation

TURKEY HILL GRANGE G. FARMERS STARTED THE GRANGE Built grain storage centers Did a number of things to help the farmer TURKEY HILL GRANGE Actual Grange name Milstadt, Illinois

…in short, life on the prairie was not only harsh but dangerous. Because of this, many farmers gave up and moved back to the cities.