Unit 2 Chapter 3 Lesson 2

Essential Question:

How did the settlements of pioneers effect the environment of the West?

Pioneers on the PlainsThe Great Plains

Great Plains =Great American

Desert1. A dry grassland

in the middle of the country.

2. Few trees, harsh weather, low rainfall

The Great PlainsGovernment wanted to encourage pioneers, or new settlers, to move to the Great Plains. Food and farm goods could be carried by rail back to the growing cities in the East.

Homestead ActLaw offered free land (160 acres) to American citizens and immigrants who were willing to start new farms in the Great Plains.

Homestead ActA man over 21, or

woman who was head of the houseSmall fee $10.00Farm and live on the land for 5 years, then the land was yoursImprove it by building a 12-by-14 dwelling and growing crops

Homesteaders

Settlers who claimed land through the Homestead Act

Settling on the PlainsFarmers who had to bust up the soil that had grass with thick roots were called “sodbusters”

Why was sod a useful building material for

homesteaders?

SodbustersThe farmers would then use the sod to build their house. They were cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and fireproofWalls were often full of bugs, worms, snakes, and mice.

Houses were called “Soddies”

American Fever

Families from Germany, Sweden Norway, Russia, and other European countries were coming to the Great Plains.They brought valuable farming skills

American FeverRussians brought a type of wheat that would survive the weather of the Great Plains. Great Plains become the World's most productive wheat growing region.

ExodustersAfrican Americans who began moving into the Great Plains to escape unfair treatment. (Exodus from the Bible)Started new towns like Nicodemus, Kansas

Nicodemus, Kansas

Nicodemus, KansasThe town symbolizes

the pioneering spirit of these ex-slaves who fled the war-torn South in search of “real” freedom and a chance to restart their lives.

Life of the PlainsNew technology helped to make farming easier.

1. Steel plows2. Windmills3. Barbed wire4. Dry farming

New Technology

Dry farming, disking deepBarbed wire

Steel plow

Windmills

Problems1. Harsh weather: tornadoes,

blizzards, bitter cold, hail, and flooding

2. Summer: blazing heat and little rain

3. Grasshoppers ate fences and axe handles after they ate crops

Problems

Growth in the West

West shows growthJapanese immigrants settle in California and are successful farmers. New railroad lines bring settlers into Washington, Oregon, and California

ReviewDescribe the purpose of the Homestead Act.What challenges did the homesteaders face?Why did the Exodusters come to the Plains?How did technology help the farmers turn the Great Plains into productive farmland?