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Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day. “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” -Robert Frost. 4.04 Describe innovations in agricultural technology and business practices and assess their impact on the West. Technology and the West.

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Quote of the Day

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  1. Quote of the Day “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” -Robert Frost

  2. 4.04 Describe innovations in agricultural technology and business practices and assess their impact on the West.

  3. Technology and the West

  4. How could the nation benefit from a Transcontinental Railroad?

  5. Need for a Transcontinental Railroad • To connect East Coast to Oregon and California • Would reduce travel time from months to days • Would lead to growth along the rail line • Would unite north, south and west to end sectionalism

  6. Pacific Railway Act • 1862 • Provided for construction of a transcontinental railroad as a joint effort between the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads • Both companies were given land along the right-of-way to encourage competition and rapid construction

  7. The Union Pacific • Led by Grenville Dodge, former union general known for his organizational and managerial skills • Started rail line heading west out of Omaha Nebraska in 1865

  8. Union Pacific Workers • Civil War vets • Irish immigrants • Bankrupt miners and farmers • 10,000 men living in camps along the tracks and in rolling dorms • Lots of rough living – gambling, drinking, fighting

  9. The Central Pacific • Organized in California under 4 investors, including Leland Stanford, future governor of California and founder of Stanford University • Hired 10,000 Chinese laborers • Had drawback of having to have all equipment for railroad and for construction brought by ship

  10. Promontory Point, Utah 1869

  11. Time Zones Introduced • Time had been measured purely by the sun’s position, so what time it was determined locally • 1883: American Railway Association divided nation into 4 time zones to ease railroad scheduling and improve safety by eliminating wrecks caused by discrepancies in how time was measured

  12. Standardization of Trains • Hundreds of railroads consolidated into just 7 major companies, increasing efficiency, lowering shipping and travel costs, and allowing the development of improved technologies which further increased efficiency • Railroads tied America’s regions together after the war, helping end sectionalism

  13. Plow Technology • Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow in 1819 • John Deere patented a steel-bladed plow in 1837 that could cut through tough sod of the Great Plains • Steel plows were the only way for “sodbusters” to farm the prairie, but also led to the breakdown of prairie soils and loss of topsoil to wind & water erosion

  14. Mechanical Reaper • Developed by Cyrus McCormick in 1834 • Machine pulled by a horse could harvest far more grain than a man swinging a scythe, led to farmers planting more acreage and an increase in grain production

  15. Dry-farming • Plant seeds deep in the ground where there is enough moisture to allow them to germinate • Doesn’t require surface watering or depend as heavily on regular rainfall • Mainly used for wheat and corn farming in the Great Plains

  16. The Wheat Belt

  17. Windmill • Used to pump water from the ground and ground corn or wheat

  18. Refrigerated Railroad Car • Invented by Gustavus Swift. • Allowed meat to be shipped great distances without spoiling. • America becomes a carnivorous country. • Enables the meat industry to flourish.

  19. What is the Open Range?

  20. Range Wars • As farmers moved onto the plains, they needed to define and enclose their fields • As sheep ranchers moved in, they needed access to water and pastures • Both groups were in conflict with the cattle ranchers who depended on the open range to graze and move their herds • Brief but violent range wars became common

  21. Barbed Wire Ends the Open Range Era • Invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874 • Allowed huge areas of land to be fenced off cheaply and easily • Allowed farmers and sheep ranchers to fence in the prairie and shut down routes (like the Chisholm Trail) for driving cattle • Forced cattle ranchers to change their practices, organize defined, enclosed ranches

  22. Commercial Farming • Practiced mechanized farming • Usually 50,000+ acres • Called “bonanza farms” • Massive investment was required in land and equipment • Required hired laborers (most regular farms were family worked)

  23. Farmers Fall on Hard Times • In 1880s, a serious drought struck • In 1890s, excessive wheat production caused prices to drop • Farmers mortgaged their land to banks to survive, but often lost their land when they couldn’t meet their mortgage payments

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