The Great Plains

What is the Great Plains?

1. The Great Plains is a region in the central United States. 2. The red highlights the region of the Great Plains

Some Pictures

Looks Pretty Flat!

1. The Great Plains are very flat with no mountains around at all!

2. Nothing but grass and a few trees grow in the Great Plains.

3. Would you ever want to live there?

4. Believe it or not, a lot of people in the late 1800s moved there!

Why Would People Want to Live in the Great Plains?

1. People back in the late 1800s desired to move west for primarily one thing…LAND

2. Land was EXTREMELY valuable back in the late 1800s.

3. A lot of people could not afford land in the populated areas of the United States so they moved to the Great Plains!

4. The people who moved to the Great Plains were called pioneers or settlers.

5. Sounds like a big risk. Would you move, too?

The Homestead Act of 1862

1. This Act was signed by President Lincoln in 1862 that gave pioneers or settles land at little or no cost!

2. It was a pretty good deal!

3. If you could not afford land in populated areas then it would be best to go to the Great Plains where land was essentially free!

Life is Not Easy!

1. Although land was granted, life was not easy out in the Great Plains because of poor weather and food shortages!

Weather on the Great Plains1. The weather can be extreme on the Great Plains.

2. Winters are harsh with lots of snow and low temperatures.

3. Summers are brutally hot with very high temperatures.

4. The Great Plains are also subject to very dangerous thunder storms and the infamous tornado!

5. Do you still want to live there?

Food Shortages

1. Due to the bad weather conditions food was tough to preserve.

2. Cold winters froze food.

3. Hot summers spoiled food.

4. No, they did not have microwaves or refrigerators back then!

Moving Back

1. Many people could not handle the extreme weather of the summer and winter months on the Great Plains.

2. The people who could not hold out moved back to the east coast.

3. The opportunity for land was great but the environment was just too much for some.

Regardless…

1. People still settled the Great Plains and eventually would build houses, towns and then cities.

2. These people would face hardship after hardship but they would help create out great nation into what it currently is today!