1. Blended American History II
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOLLOWING NOTES
We will review the most important information in class, but please be familiar with the following notes for class.

2. 4.04 Describe innovations in agricultural technology and business practices and assess their impact on the West.

3. Technology and the West

4. How could the nation benefit from a Transcontinental Railroad?

5. Need for a Transcontinental Railroad
To connect East Coast to Oregon and California
Would reduce travel time from months to days
Would lead to growth along the rail line
Would unite north, south and west to end sectionalism

6. Pacific Railway Act
1862
Provided for construction of a transcontinental railroad as a joint effort between the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads
Both companies were given land along the right-of-way to encourage competition and rapid construction

7. The Union Pacific
Led by Grenville Dodge, former union general known for his organizational and managerial skills
Started rail line heading west out of Omaha Nebraska in 1865

8. Union Pacific Workers Civil War vets Irish immigrants
Bankrupt miners and farmers
10,000 men living in camps along the tracks and in rolling dorms
Lots of rough living – gambling, drinking, fighting

9. The Central Pacific
Organized in California under 4 investors, including Leland Stanford, future governor of California and founder of Stanford University
Hired 10,000 Chinese laborers
Had drawback of having to have all equipment for railroad and for construction brought by ship

10. Promontory Point, Utah 1869

11. Time Zones Introduced
Time had been measured purely by the sun’s position, so what time it was determined locally
1883: American Railway Association divided nation into 4 time zones to ease railroad scheduling and improve safety by eliminating wrecks caused by discrepancies in how time was measured

12. Standardization of Trains
Hundreds of railroads consolidated into just 7 major companies, increasing efficiency, lowering shipping and travel costs, and allowing the development of improved technologies which further increased efficiency
Railroads tied America’s regions together after the war, helping end sectionalism

13. Plow Technology
Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow in 1819
John Deere patented a steel-bladed plow in 1837 that could cut through tough sod of the Great Plains
Steel plows were the only way for “sodbusters” to farm the prairie, but also led to the breakdown of prairie soils and loss of topsoil to wind & water erosion

14. Mechanical Reaper Developed by Cyrus McCormick in 1834
Machine pulled by a horse could harvest far more grain than a man swinging a scythe, led to farmers planting more acreage and an increase in grain production

15. Dry-farming
Plant seeds deep in the ground where there is enough moisture to allow them to germinate
Doesn’t require surface watering or depend as heavily on regular rainfall
Mainly used for wheat and corn farming in the Great Plains

16. The Wheat Belt

17. Windmill
Used to pump water from the ground and ground corn or wheat

18. Refrigerated Railroad Car
Invented by Gustavus Swift.
Allowed meat to be shipped great distances without spoiling.
America becomes a carnivorous country.
Enables the meat industry to flourish.

20. What is the Open Range?

21. Range Wars
As farmers moved onto the plains, they needed to define and enclose their fields
As sheep ranchers moved in, they needed access to water and pastures
Both groups were in conflict with the cattle ranchers who depended on the open range to graze and move their herds
Brief but violent range wars became common

22. Barbed Wire Ends the Open Range Era
Invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874
Allowed huge areas of land to be fenced off cheaply and easily
Allowed farmers and sheep ranchers to fence in the prairie and shut down routes (like the Chisholm Trail) for driving cattle
Forced cattle ranchers to change their practices, organize defined, enclosed ranches

23. Commercial Farming Practiced mechanized farming Usually 50,000+ acres
Called “bonanza farms”
Massive investment was required in land and equipment
Required hired laborers (most regular farms were family worked)

24. Farmers Fall on Hard Times
In 1880s, a serious drought struck
In 1890s, excessive wheat production caused prices to drop
Farmers mortgaged their land to banks to survive, but often lost their land when they couldn’t meet their mortgage payments