14.2 – WESTERN FARMERS

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST

1862- gov’t action to lure people WestHomestead 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!

Railroads- 4 companies snaked through the West p. 445

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

Who moved West? 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) churchKansas Fever Exodusters 1879- 20,000-40, 000 AA’s move West because of the violence during the 1878 electionExpensive move but helped by churches, established settlers, other poor blacks

-European Immigrants- “American Fever”Better LifeNorway, Sweden, Denmark (Scandinavian) in 1882- 100,000Irish due to building the RRGermans and RussiansChinese Farming after the gold rush

WESTERN ENVIRONMENTFLAT, BARREN,DRY

Problems: 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

Solutions- Better Technology U.S. Department of Agriculture- 1862

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 H2Osharper, more durable blades

-“self binding” harvester- cut and tied wheatcombine- cut, separated and cleaned grain

BONANZA FARM- LARGE SCALE FARMS OWNED BY LARGE COMPANIES

covered thousands of acres

-run like a factory- managers, foreman, laborersDakota Territory, California, Minnesota

Good conditions= large profit, send eastBad conditions= low profit, lose land, too many people to pay, expensive equipment

FARM LIFE- OVERALL VERY DIFFICULT WEATHER UNPREDICTABLE

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 childrenField 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.