Great Plains Flat and covered with grasses Few trees Less than 20 inches a year of rain

Homestead Act Homestead- settler’s home and land Offered 160 acres of land to adults who were citizens or wanted to become citizens Paid small amount of money and farm the land for 5 years and then it was their land! Why is this a price incentive? What did it encourage people to do?

Who went to Great Plains? People from Eastern USA who could not afford to buy land African Americans from the South Immigrants from Europe, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Exodusters African Americans from the south also wanted to move to the Great Plains and start farms. Why did they want to leave the South? Thousands of African Americans moved to the Great Plains between 1877 and 1879. They started their own towns to feel safe and free from any injustices. They called themselves Exodusters referring to the book in the Bible (Exodus) when the people of ancient Israel left Egypt to escape slavery.

Tough Times in Great Plains Climate was very tough Winters were long and cold Violent thunderstorms, heavy rains, floods and tornadoes in the Spring Summers were hot and dry and there were many droughts Crops would be destroyed by extreme weather!

Fires in summer on prairies because of dry grasslands Grasshoppers ate crops, clothing and even the wood on the handles of tools. Water and wood were scarce so they built….

Sod Houses! What they really looked like.

Kept them cool in summer and warm in winter

Farmers became known as Sodbusters because they have to break through all the thick soil to plant seeds.

They lived far apart from each other so would have to travel miles to hang out.

The farmers had to plant wheat seeds from Europe because the other seeds did not grow in the harsh conditions.

Water was scare and they had to carry water to crops, or they dug wells to pump water by hand. Some built windmills to help pump water.