Settling the Plains

After the Civil War, millions of people in the south were poor and landlessHomestead Act – You can have 160 acres for free if you live on it for 5 years and improve itMany African Americans the Great Plains after the Civil WarThe Railroads were growing making It easier to head west

New Technology The steel plow allowed farmers to

break up the thick sod Windmills made it possible to get water

from deep underground Barbed wire made it possible for

farmers to fence in their land Reapers & threshers – helped harvest

crops

Sod HousesThe lack of trees on the Plains made it necessary to use sod as a building material.

It also meant burning Buffalo and cow dung “chips” for heat

Hazards of Farming on the Plains Farmers had to deal with blizzards, fires,

hailstorms, tornados, drought, & locusts. Railroads charges high fees to ship

farmer’s grain to market.

Cities & Towns Cities and towns grew

up along railroads or near valuable resources.

Railroads connected them to the major markets in the east