1. RAILROADS AND COTTON

2. Railroads Wanted
Railroad lines expand West and make their way through Texas.
Promised cheap, reliable, and fast transportation.
Texas cities eager for railroad lines.

3. Railroad Boom Government aided railroad development.
Railroad companies begin to race West.
Farmers followed railroads in search of cheap land.
Population of Jack County:
1870 – 61,000
1900 – 350,000
Texas is now connected to the rest of the country.
No need for cattle drives
Farming can move crops to far away markets

5. Railroad Commission James Hogg elected Governor in 1890.
Enforced laws that regulated business – Hogg Laws
Created the Texas Railroad Commission – regulate and set rules for RRs

6. Farmers Move West
Railroads encouraged settlement near new tracks for farmers – hoping to make money by selling land
Railroad companies created advertisements using city development plans to attract settlers

7. West East Farming in the West
The soil in West Texas differs from the soil in East Texas
Farmers will face limited water resources
West
East

8. Farming and Technology
Windmills helped with irrigation by tapping into the underground water supply.
And Many farmers switched to crops that needed less water than cotton, such as wheat.
New dry farming techniques were adopted such as terracing, ridges or multiple levels to catch rainfall and prevent soil erosion.

9. Commercial Farming
Increase of agriculture lead to commercial farming – large scale growth of crops to sell for profit.
Machinery inventions aided large scale farming.
Steam powered tractors
Threshers – machines that separated grain or seeds from plants
Steel-tipped plows

10. Windmill

11. Steel Tipped Plow
John Deere

12. McCormick’s Reaper
Cyrus McCormick

13. Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney

14. Cotton BOOM - Cotton is King
Cotton was the most profitable crop
Many farmers switched to growing ONLY cotton
Pesticides kept insects like boll weevils from damaging crops

15. Cotton BOOM - Cotton is King
Cotton contributed to town growth
Commercial farming draws European immigrants
Town merchants support farmers
Need for manufacturing of cotton and cotton seed oil

16. Supply and Demand Boom in crop production leads to a bust in prices.
Supply began to exceed demand, causing prices to fall – economic law of supply and demand.

17. Supply and Demand LOW SUPPLY leads to HIGH SUPPLY leads to
Scenario 1…
Scenario 2…
LOW SUPPLY leads to
HIGH DEMAND(& prices)
HIGH SUPPLY leads to
LOW DEMAND(& prices)

18. Boom & BUST Cycle for Cotton
Cotton prices fell from 11 cents to 6 cents per pound.
Farmland went from $10/acre to $500/acre.
Being a cotton farmer was TOUGH.

19. Boom & Bust Questions (S&D)
1. The cotton crop of 1878 season boomed because of great weather conditions. What will happen to the price of cotton?
2. Disease among cattle spread throughout all of TX. What will be the effect on prices?
3. When Steel Plows were first invented, there were not many to be found in stores. What will be the effect on prices?

20. How do you PREDICT the TX ECONOMY will be affected by the Railroad Boom?
Agriculture Products?
Industrial Products?
Farm Machinery Products?
Cattle Drives?