The Homesteaders

Why did so many people want to become homesteaders and settle on the Plains?
1. Homestead Act 1862
  1. Families were given 160 acres of land for free proving they lived and farmed on it for 5 years
2. Timber Culture Act 1873
  1. Settlers were given a further 160 acres of land for free if they agreed to plant 40 acres of their land with trees
3. Desert Land Act 1877
  1. Settlers who wanted more land could buy 640 acres of land cheaply in areas where there was a lack of rainfall
4. End of the US civil war
  1. Thousands of demobilised soldiers and their families wanted to rebuild their lives
  2. Freed black slaves were looking for a new life
  3. Many ex-slaves and ex-soldiers became homesteaders, cowboys and railroad builders
5. Building of the Railroads
  1. It was easier for homesteaders to get onto the Plains
  2. Land could be bought cheaply from railroad companies on either side of the railroads
Did all the homesteaders go west for the same reasons?
1. Pull factors
  1. The offer of free land
  2. The chance of a new start
  3. Advertising by railroads companies
  4. Letters home from those who had already gone west (and were successful in farming) encouraged others to move onto the Plains themselves
2. Push factors
  1. Many were looking to escape poverty and unemployment
  2. Looking for good farming land
  3. Some moved to the Plains to escape religious persecution
  4. Ex-soldiers from the US Civil War saw a lack of opportunity when they returned home
3. Enabling factors
  1. Later on, homesteaders could travel by railroad
  2. The Indians were defeated by the US army. They were cleared from these lands and confined to reservations or pushed further west
How did homesteaders survive on the Plains?
1. Water Shortages
  1. Solutions
    1. Windmills were used to pump water from underground
    2. Methods of dry farming were also used
  2. Problems
    1. Water was scarce.
    2. It was difficult to grow crops without water
    3. Homesteaders couldn't keep themselves clean
2. Weather Extremes
  1. Problems
    1. Draught in summer Cold in winter
    2. Fierce winds destroyed crops
  2. Solutions
    1. Dry farming to overcome draught
3. Fuel
  1. Problems
    1. There wasn't any wood to burn as fuel for heating and cooking
  2. Solutions
    1. Buffalo/cow dung were used as fuels
4. Dirt and Disease
  1. Problems
    1. It was easy for disease to develop.
  2. Solutions
    1. Women used natural medical remedies to treat diseases
5. Building Materials
  1. Problems
    1. There was a lack of wood and only few could afford it
  2. Solutions
    1. Blocks of earth were cut and used as building bricks to build 'sod' houses
6. Natural Hazards
  1. Problems
    1. Prairie fires started in the summer
    2. Plagues of grasshoppers could destroy crops
  2. Solutions
    1. NO SOLUTION
What was life like for female homesteaders?
1. Jobs women did
  1. Making and washing clothes
  2. Preparing food for their family
  3. Making household items, such as soap and candles
2. Problems and hazards women faced
  1. No social life
    1. There were long distances between farmhouses
  2. Mental health - because of their lack of sociability and their heavy workloads
  3. Coming into contact with hostile Indians
Which factors determined whether a homesteader would be successful?
1. Exact location of their land
  1. Some parts of the Plains were more fertile than others
2. Adaptability
  1. The conditions on the Plains meant that they had to adapt their farming techniques
    1. Homesteaders who failed to adapt did not succeed
3. Weather
  1. Severe droughts of 1870s and 1880s forced thousands of homesteaders into bankruptcy
4. Hard work and determination
  1. Those who surveyed where helped by a number of inventions and developments in homesteading

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The Homesteaders

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