1. Farming the West Read and Notes (pgs. 578 – 586)

2. Waves of Western Emigrants  1 st Wave Miners Miners Pikes Peak (1859), Comstock (1873), Black Hills (1874) Pikes Peak (1859), Comstock (1873), Black Hills (1874)  2 nd Wave Cattle Ranchers Cattle Ranchers Tow Towns (Abilene and Dodge City, KS) Tow Towns (Abilene and Dodge City, KS) Dies – Barbed Wire and Refrigerator Cars Dies – Barbed Wire and Refrigerator Cars  3 rd Wave Homestead Act (1862) - Free Land Homestead Act (1862) - Free Land # of Farms TRIPLES!!! # of Farms TRIPLES!!! What problems do farmers face? What problems do farmers face?

3. Fredrick Jackson Turner’s Thesis  1890 – Frontier Closes  1893 – “Frontier Thesis”  “The existence of an area of free land … and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American development.”  “Frontier Values” = Strength, Individualism, Liberty, Opportunity  “The frontier has gone and with its going has closed the first period of American history.”

4. The Farm Game!

5. The Farm Game - 1885 News  1885 Weather = Good Rainfall levels  1885 Economy = Good, but deflationary pressures keep wheat/barley prices low  Cattle Disease strikes!

6. The Farm Game - 1885 Returns  Corn = 2  Beans = 3  Wheat = 1  Barley = 1  Oats = 2  Hay = 2  Peas = 2  Cattle = 1  Sheep = 2  Hogs = 3

7. The Farm Game = 1886 News  1886 Weather = Dry Summer/Prairie Fires hurt most crops  Dry Weather = No grass for cattle to graze  Grasshopper Infestation!

8. The Farm Game - 1886 Returns  Corn = 2  Beans = 1  Wheat = 1  Barley = 2  Oats = 2  Hay = 1  Peas = 2  Cattle = 0  Sheep = 2  Hogs = 0

9. The Farm Game - 1887 News  1887 Weather Brutal January Blizzards - 90% of livestock are dead Brutal January Blizzards - 90% of livestock are dead Grasshopper Infestation! Kills beans, wheat, oats Grasshopper Infestation! Kills beans, wheat, oats Rattlesnake Infestation! Rattlesnake Infestation!  1887 Economy Deflationary trend continues, prices extremely low Deflationary trend continues, prices extremely low

10. The Farm Game - 1887 Returns  Corn = 1  Beans = 0  Wheat = 0  Barley = 2  Oats = 0  Hay = 2  Peas = 1  Cattle = 0  Sheep = 0  Hogs = 0

11. How did you do?  From this simulation what problems do farmers face?  Where can they turn for help?  What can they do?