LIFE ON THE PRAIRIE

Life on the prairie in the late 1800s and early 1900s was very different than it is today. What do you notice when you look at this image? What kind of work is being done here? These farmers are using a horse-drawn tool to harvest wheat. Farmers used to do this hard, dusty work by hand, but animals and machines made prairie life a little easier for them.

Much of the work was done manually by hand or by animal power Much of the work was done manually by hand or by animal power. What other work was done with the help of animals at this time? Animals were often used to pull wagons, plow fields, and power water mills, blacksmith shops, and threshing machines.

This is an example of a home in the late 1800s. What do you notice?

This is a photo of an outhouse. Can anyone tell me what an outhouse is?

These are examples of tools used by a woodworker. Which of these tools look familiar to you?

This is a photo of a man with a scythe This is a photo of a man with a scythe. Who knows what a scythe is used for?   A scythe is a long, curved blade that’s used for cutting crops, like grass or wheat.

This is an old cultivator This is an old cultivator. Farmers used — and still use — cultivators to break up the ground and uproot weeds, so they can plant crops more easily.

This is a horse-drawn plow This is a horse-drawn plow. The horse would walk in straight lines through the field. At the same time, the blade would be drawn over the soil to create furrows so that farmers could plant seeds.   John Deere the man built the first successful self-scouring plow in 1837.