Vocab
Conservation
Protecting forests but still allowing the forest to be used in various ways with permission
What did the Homestead Act (1862) do?
Gave people 160 acres of land as long as they could "prove it up"
What is Montana's state tree?
Ponderosa Pine
What were the requirements of "proving up" one's land?
Living on the land for 5 years, building a home, and planting crops
What is suffrage?
The right to vote
Preservation
Disallowing the forest to be used for anything other than recreation
Surplus land provided more opportunities for settlers and there was hope that surrounding Native Americans with farmers would speed assimilation
Help manage the land for multiple uses and prevent wildfires
Why were immigrants leaving their homelands to come to Montana?
Many European countries were facing a period of economic and political uncertainty
What is assimilation?
When one group of people adopts the culture/language/identity of a larger group of people
IWW
Industrial Workers of the World--a labor union
How did the Homesteading boom increase the role of women in politics?
Women's role in homesteading gave them more respect among men, and their role in teaching morals was seen as a potential benefit to have in politics
A buildup of undergrowth and dead trees can lead to catastrophic fires when they do happen
What factors led the the Homesteading bust of the 1920s?
A stretch of hot, dry summers withered crops, dried up water holes, and started prairie fires that burned fields, barns, and homes
What is the name of the mining company that controlled so much of Montana's politics?
Anaconda Mining Company
OR
Amalgamated Copper
Fallowing
Not planting crops in a field so the soil can regain nutrients
Who was the first woman to serve in US Congress?
Jeanette Rankin
What argument did logging companies use to put an end to strikes in the early 1900s?
Logging was so important to the economy and to the war effort that strikers were un-patriotic
In what ways did homesteading build communities?
Neighbors had to rely on one another to a greater extent, schools and town halls were built in more towns, roads were maintained better
What is a labor strike
When a group of people stops working until their demands are met
Land Trust
Public land that can be leased/sold off with the profits being used to benefit the state
How did the expansion of Ag reduce the control of mining/railroad's power in MT government?
Splitting up counties into smaller areas gave agricultural areas more representation in Congress. Secondly, mining became slightly less important to the MT economy which caused it to lose some of its sway
How was the logging industry tied to the other industries in Montana?
Railroads required lumber for laying tracks and mining companies requires lumber for building mineshafts and heap roasting
What were some of the effects of the Homesteading bust?
Montana's population decreased over the 20s, many farms were foreclosed on and banks themselves shut down, new types of farming techniques were developed
What is a travois
A device for transport made of two joined poles and drawn by an animal