Chapter 5 Section 2 Influence of the RRs , RRs given huge land grants to build westward (6,400 acres of land and up to $48k in loans for each mile of track) The Central Pacific & Union Pacific employed thousands of Irish, Chinese, Mexican immigrants along with Civil War veterans and African Americans to lay the track How will RR help open the West? Workers will stay out west upon completion Made travel to west quicker RRs recruit people to move west, so they could sell land to them Promontory Point, Utah 1869 Support from Government Homestead Act (1862)- 160 acres of free land to any citizen that was head of the household : 600,000 took advantage of the offer. Several thousand were exodusters African Americans who moved from post- war South to Kansas Many abused this law (private speculators, RRs, cattlemen, & miners) as a result only 10% of the land was actually used for its designated purpose Oklahoma Land Rush 2 million acres of land were claimed in less than a day by about 50,000 people. Some cheated and entered the territory illegally days earlier (Sooner State) Worked the fields with their husbands Took care of the family- Sewing Cooking Hauling water/supplies Candle & Soap making Sponsoring or teaching in schools (sense of community) Doctoring Dugouts Soddy Pieces of Sod Lack of lumber in the region forced some homesteaders to dig a hole or use sod to build shelters (Soddies) Donated public land for colleges that were going to be heavily involved in agriculture & mechanical processes 30,000 acres for each state senator and representative in Congress (based on 1860 census) Some of the land could be sold and the proceeds could be for the colleges Gave states $15,000 annually for the development & operation of agricultural experiment stations New techniques and innovations helped with dry farming of the Plains