Kansas Settlement
This U.S. President signed the Homestead Act into law, motivating thousands to move west.
Abraham Lincoln
This process had to be completed on public lands to mark property boundaries before people could claim them.
What is survey.
Because there was very little wood, settlers used "sod," which is a combination of these two things held together by roots.
Grass and Soil
"What is 'Rain Follows the Plow'?"
Many settlers believed this incorrect theory, which claimed that plowing the earth would actually cause it to rain.
To claim 160 acres of land under the Homestead Act, a person had to be a U.S. citizen and at least this old.
"What is 21 years old?"
This was the nickname for a person who lived on public land and had the right to buy it after 14 months.
What is squatter.
This cheap invention allowed farmers to build fences to contain animals without needing expensive lumber.
Barbed wire
This crop was a favorite for early settlers because it was easy to plant and could feed both families and livestock.
Corn
This is the specific amount of money a homesteader had to pay as a fee to claim their land.
What is $10.
"What is the Timber Culture Act?"
The law that encouraged settlers to plant trees in exchange for up to 160 acres of land.
Settlers used these tall, wind-powered structures to pull water from deep underground to the surface.
Windmill
Unlike spring wheat, this type of wheat is planted in the fall and harvested in the spring before the summer heat hits.
Winter Wheat
The Homestead was the first time these 3 groups were allowed to buy land besides a white male.
Women, Immigrants and Freed African Americans
These were created to divide the Kansas landscape into organized squares before any claims could be made.
To stay warm and cook food without wood, settlers gathered and burned these, also known as
"buffalo chips."
This process, which used to be done by hand, involves separating the grain from the stalk of the plant.
Threshing
If a settler lacked the money to own their own farm, they might become this type of farmer, working land owned by someone else.
What is tenant farming.
"Who was Flora Moorman Heston?" I told you about her yesterday. What happened to her and her family?
A settler in Clark County wrote home about the frustration of having to move because her land was surveyed incorrectly.
Beyond a lack of trees, Kansas settlers faced natural disasters that could destroy crops and make survival nearly impossible. Name me one.
"What are droughts, blizzards, or grasshoppers?"
Winter Wheat became popular because of two reasons. Give me one of the reasons.
It was harvested before it got to hot.
It was harvested before grasshopper would invade.