Life on the Great Plains in the late 19 th Century

1. Life on the Great Plains in the late 19th Century

3. What do you notice about the landscape?

4. Ominous clouds Few/no trees dry very flat Unusual animals

5. America’s Open Range 1830s-1850s • The first ranchers on the Great Plains owned little or no land. Their cattle grazed on the open range. The open range was undeveloped public land held by the state government for future sale. • Since there were not fences, cattle from several ranches often intermingled. To identify their own cattle, ranchers branded the animals. • Ranchers on the open range considered the water and grass to be resources that everyone could share.

6. Changes on the Open Range • LAND POLICY: • In the 1850s, the state government began offering free public land to encourage internal improvements. • These changes that help boost the economy and population. • Railroads received almost 90 percent of this land

7. 1880 1900

8. Competition for land • LAND SPECULATION • 1864 Homestead Act – gave free plot to anyone willing to “improve” the land • No deed until farmers stayed for 5 years • Many farmers poor, inexperienced = failed • Ranching companies began buying land • Huge, privately-owned ranches develop • Small farmers resented this “land grab”

9. Range Wars • FARMERS vs RANCHERS • Farmers began fencing in their land in the 1880s. • Conflicts between ranchers and farmers worsened – ranchers need open range. • A range war developed over fences and fence cutting.

10. Railroads Change Farming • Commercial agriculture – the growing of crops for sale to make a profit • Refrigerated RR cars become popular in 1870s • Meat • vegetables, fruit • dairy • Commercial farms on Great Plains use the railroads to ship surplus crops to market. • Negotiate deals with RR companies • Small farmers cannot afford high RR prices

11. Changes For Cowboys Cowboys found fewer jobs for trail drives or open-range roundups. New responsibilities included setting fence posts, stringing barbed wire for farmers & commercial ranchers. The Big Die-Up In 1885, thousands of cattle froze to death trying to flee a huge blizzard - trapped by fences put up to keep infected cattle away from healthy herds. An End and a Beginning

12. Railroads, Cowboys, & RanchesCause Effect By 1850s, railroad received government subsidies to expand their lines west. Commercial ranching/farming develops in the West, upsetting small farmers & ranchers. American cowboys, small ranchers, farmers lose out as cattle is shipped by rail Open range over- frontier is dominated by RR companies, commercial farms/ranches

13. Railroads Affect the Economy • Towns did what they could to convince railroads to lay tracks in their area: • Cash incentives • Donated sites • The growth of the railroad spurred other businesses: • Lumber for bridges, stations, rail ties, and platforms • Food service for railway workers • Coal to power the trains

14. Farming New Lands • Much of Great Plains could not support farming without irrigation. Irrigation brings water to land by artificial means. • Railroads wanted to sell land and lure settlers to Great Plains. They hid the truth about the dry conditions from settlers. • The U.S. suffered three economic depressions between 1870 and 1890 • Crop prices and demand for cash crops fell. Thousands of farms failed.

15. Sod house

16. Farmers Help Themselves The Grange • The National Grange -a farmers’ organization to help farmers share knowledge about latest farming techniques. • Set up stores where farmers could purchase goods at a lower cost. • “Grangers” worked to improve many aspects of life for farming families, including education. • agricultural colleges • called for the regulation of railroads.