1862- gov’t action to lure people West Homestead Act- 160 acres to farm if they stayed on the Great Plains for 5 years  Ex) Oklahoma- offered free land, 50,000 show up for noon race, must set up a shanty to claim the land, “sooner state” some left too soon Pacific Railway Act- gave land to RR Companieses to develop transcontinental RR. Morril Act- gave land to each state for agricultural colleges to train farmers. Effects on NA’s- lost 11 million + acres in OK alone!

 given 100 million acres to develop the RR  sold excess land to settlers to pay for the cost of building and maintaining -paid fares to prospective buyers- also sold on credit -gave free trips to reporters, in turn, they write good reports. -RR production increased lumber industry esp. in the NW -Results from taking lumber: erosion, soil, loss of wildlife habitat, clear-cut

 White Americans from the East  new start after the Civil War  overcrowded in the East -African Americans- Southern blacks persecuted and faced violence after Reconstruction influenced by letters from those who moved earlier ex) church Kansas Fever Exodusters ,000-40, 000 AA’s move West because of the violence during the 1878 election Expensive move but helped by churches, established settlers, other poor blacks -European Immigrants- “American Fever” Better Life Norway, Sweden, Denmark (Scandinavian) in ,000 Irish due to building the RR Germans and Russians Chinese Farming after the gold rush

 need irrigation all over- canals, dams  lack of trees- nothing to build houses- used sod  created work- cook, farm, hunt/fish, family- labor intensive culture

 U.S. Department of Agriculture  help farmers- new techniques  researched new crops that would thrive- different climates than the east coast  taught dry farming- conserve water  dig deep furrows- brings moisture up  break soil up after a rainfall -drills from oil drilling used to drill for H2O sharper, more durable blades -“self binding” harvester- cut and tied wheat combine- cut, separated and cleaned grain

 covered thousands of acres -run like a factory- managers, foreman, laborers Dakota Territory, California, Minnesota Good conditions= large profit, send east Bad conditions= low profit, lose land, too many people to pay, expensive equipment

 Hot Hot Hot- Summer with drought, tornadoes, bugs, wind storms, down pours  Cold, Cold, Cold- Winter with snow, sleet, hail -Sod (mud) houses- hard to build, dirty, rain comes in, bugs -Work hard- whole family works, even children Field work, inside chores, cook, clean, sew, make butter, milk goats and cows, carry and split wood, get water, garden, feed animals, laundry, errands, fences, etc.