Settling the Plains

Laws Supporting Expansion Transcontinental RR Act (1862) – Authorizes RR from Omaha to Sacramento. – US gets RR – RR companies get 10 mi2 of land for every mile of track laid

– RR sells the land alongside tracks to settlers – RR towns crop up across the nation – RR workers settle down throughout.

Homestead Act (1862) – US gets settlers on land & more states – Settlers get 160 acres if they stay 5 yrs – ANYONE can get it!

Morrill Act (1862) – US gives states land in West – States sell land – $$ used to fund colleges – OSU, UM, MSU, Indiana, Penn St., Illinois all “land grant” colleges

People move to the land – Exodusters – Sooners: Those who went into OK “sooner” than allowed.

All About Resources Miners head to CA, NV, CO for gold, silver Fishermen, shippers, trappers blaze trails to WA, OR Farmers head to fertile Gt Plains to raise wheat, corn, cattle, hogs

Technology Changes Farming 1834: John Deere invents moldboard plow. Turns dirt over. 1847: Cyrus McCormick invents grain reaper – 1830: 183 min. > 1 bushel/grain – 1900: 10 m > 1 bushel/grain

Farming Becomes Big Business Bonanza Farms – Up to 50,000 acres – Owned by companies! – Focused on one crop

Farmers Face Problems With advances & big biz, prices come down (supply up, price down) 1880s: US economy very bad RR overcharging for crop transport. Who else is going to get it somewhere?

Money Hurts Farmers ?? What is a dollar worth ?? If you print more money, each dollar is worth less than the last US printed a LOT of money during the Civil War. Tried to get it out of circulation in 1870s.

Bottom Line Agriculture was modernized by new inventions and treating it like a business Plowing up Great Plains required new inventions, RRs, etc