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

  1. ______Railroads
  2. Why was a transcontinental railroad needed?
  3. To connect East Coast ports to West Coast markets and raw materials
  4. To reduce travel and communication time between east and west
  5. Debate over where it should be built
  6. Southerners wanted a route out of ______and across the Desert Southwest
  7. This route required the purchase of land from Mexico to avoid building in rough terrain – the ______was completed in 1854 for $10 million
  8. Northerners wanted a route out of ______
  9. Southerners in Congress blocked Northern efforts to build this line because they couldn’t get concessions on ______in exchange for supporting the northern rail route
  10. The ______Act of 1862
  11. Provided for construction of a transcontinental railroad as a joint effort between the ______and ______Railroads
  12. Both companies were given land along the right-of-way to encourage competition and rapid construction
  13. The Union Pacific Railroad
  14. Led by ______, former union general known for his organizational and managerial skills
  15. Started rail line heading west out of Omaha, Nebraska in 1865
  16. Workers
  17. Civil War vets
  18. Irish immigrants
  19. Bankrupt miners and farmers
  20. 10,000 men living in camps along the tracks and in rolling dorms
  21. Lots of rough living – gambling, drinking, fighting
  22. The Central Pacific Railroad
  23. Organized in California under 4 investors, including ______, future governor of California and founder of Stanford University
  24. Hired 10,000 Chinese laborers
  25. Had drawback of having to have all equipment for railroad and for construction brought by ship
  26. Transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 when the Union Pacific and Central Pacific teams met at ______
  27. Drove a golden spike in the last rail to commemorate the event
  28. How Trains Standardized America
  29. ______
  30. Time had been measured purely by the sun’s position, so what time it was determined locally
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. Railroads tied America’s regions together after the war, helping end ______
  34. The ______System
  35. Federal government gave land to railroad companies alongside their rail lines to encourage development
  36. Railroads sold this land to settlers to raise the capital needed to build the railroad
  37. Over 120 million acres of public lands were given to rail companies in mid-1800s
  38. Farm Technology
  39. Plows
  40. ______patented a steel-bladed plow in 1837 that could cut through tough sod of the Great Plains
  41. Steel plows were the only way for “______” to farm the prairie, but also led to the breakdown of prairie soils and loss of topsoil to wind & water erosion
  42. Mechanical Reapers
  43. Developed by ______in 1834
  44. 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
  45. Dry-farming
  46. Plant seeds deep in the ground where there is enough moisture to allow them to germinate
  47. Doesn’t require surface watering or depend as heavily on regular rainfall
  48. Mainly used for ______and ______farming in the Great Plains
  49. Trouble on the Great Plains
  50. Range Wars
  51. As farmers moved onto the plains, they needed to define and enclose their fields
  52. As sheep ranchers moved in, they needed access to water and pastures
  53. Both groups were in conflict with the cattle ranchers who depended on the open range to graze and move their herds
  54. ______
  55. Invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874
  56. Allowed huge areas of land to be fenced off cheaply and easily
  57. Allowed farmers and sheep ranchers to fence in the prairie and shut down routes (like the Chisholm Trail) for driving cattle
  58. Forced cattle ranchers to change their practices, organize defined, enclosed ranches
  59. Brief but violent range wars became common
  60. Economic Difficulties
  61. In 1880s, a serious drought struck
  62. In 1890s, excessive wheat production caused prices to drop
  63. Farmers mortgaged their land to banks to survive, but often lost their land when they couldn’t meet their mortgage payments
  64. Commercial Farming
  65. Practiced mechanized farming
  66. Usually 50,000+ acres
  67. Called “______”
  68. Massive investment was required in land and equipment
  69. Required hired laborers (most regular farms were family worked)