Cattle Kingdom & Farming in the West

Sooners

"early" settlers of the OK land rush 1889

Information on Homesteading

-1900 half a millon farmers had moved to the Great Plains -1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act- offering free land to settlers -rrd. prompted farming by selling cheap land (many came from Europe)

Information about the "last rush for land"...

-April 1889: 100,000 "Boomers" came to claim land in OK that had become available -"Sooners" jumped the gun and came early- claiming much of the best land

How were the rise of the mining industry & cattle industry similar?

-both relied on labor of workers who were paid very little and generally exploited -both played a major role in the West (mining- NV, CA, Cattle- TX, KA) -both allowed leaders in the businesses to become wealthy -both were helped by the growth of railroads

Information on "Farmers Organize"

-overproduction caused crop prices to plummet -many farmers borrowed money to buy new farm machinery but couldn't pay back loans, so they lost land - lived in poverty & isolation lead to formation of granges -granges started for social interaction but lead to economic protest movement -1892 farmers helped create the Populist party- pushed for social & economic reform. they wanted silver to be used as money to create inflation so they could pay back their debt.

Information about the "Hard Life on the Plains"..

-water was scarce -dust storms -difficult to grow crops -the further west you went the dryer the climate -fertile land but was covered in sod -homes were built with sod because there was a lack of wood -John Deere invented the steel plow (good for tough sod) -Drills were used to plant seeds deep in the ground -reapers used to harvest crops - threshers to take hard coverings off the grain -windmill pumped water-deep from the ground -fences with barbed wire kept cattle from trampling land (invented in 1874 by Joseph Glidden)

How was life hard on the plains?

-whole families (including kids) were needed to make farms successful -women played major role, they farmed, took care of the home and educated the kids

What factors led to the end of the cattle boom?

1. Oversupply lead to drastic fall in prices for beed 2. land could no longer support the grazing of the animals 3. barbed wire was invented and farmers fenced off their land reducing the open range where cattle could graze- meaning that farmers had to buy expensive food for their cattle. 4. hot summers and harsh winters in 1886-1887 killed thousands of cattle and put ranchers out of business 5. Economic depression put many out of work in the east so demand dropped

what factors led to the rise of the cattle industry?

1. growth of the rrd to bring cattle east 2. available land out west for cattle to graze 3. high demand for need in eastern markets 4. new breeds of cattle that stayed healthier and had more meat 5. investment from easterner and Europeans

Exodusters

African American settlers (70,000) who migrated from the south to the Great Plains, especially Kansas. Many became farmers.

William McKinley

Candidate for president in 1896 who represented the interests of big business and bankers

William Jennings Bryan

Candidate for president in 1896 who represented the interests of famers and workers

Which trail covered the most distance?

Chisholm Trail

How did the cattle boom lead to economic prosperity for new towns in the west?

It helped to develop and grow towns in the west. Service businesses developed (hotels, saloons,etc.). Cattle could be bought cheap but sold at a much higher price, allowing Ranchers to make a lot of money.

In which states were cattle driven to the railroads by cowboys>

MO, KS, NE, CO, WY

vaquero

Mexican cowboy

Sodbusters

Plains farmers

what dangers did the cowboys face on a cattle drive?

Riding accidents were common, stampedes were dangerous, fast rivers carried them away, fighting grass fires, cattle thieves, Indian attacks, harsh terrain

Who won the election of 1896?

W. McKinley

cattle drive

cattle drives from Texas to railway towns in Kansas

Framers' Alliance

formed in late 1870's, helped farmers establish farm cooperatives, they pooled their money together to make larger purchase of tools and seed

Grange

groups of framers who met and supported one another

Cooperatives

groups of framers who pooled their money to make large purchases of tool, seed, and other supplies at discounts

Steel plow

invented by John Deere, it was good for breaking up the tough sod

Homestead Act

law passed by Congress in 1862 offering 160-acre plots of land to anyone who resided on the land for 5 years.

Populist

political party that pushed for reforms (social & economic), demanded public ownership of rrd, and generally supported the intrest of farmers and workers

used to harvest crops

reapers

Homesteaders

settlers who acquired free land from the govt.

cattle kingdom

the region dominated by the cattle industry and its ranches, trails and cow towns

used to take the coverings off the grain

threshers

cow town

towns in Kansas where cattle were driven to and loaded onto trains for transport, usually back East

open range

untended land where cattle were left to graze

pumped water deep from the ground

windmills