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What encouraged the settlement of the Great Plains in the 1860s and 1870s?
What encouraged the settlement of the Great Plains in the 1860s and 1870s?
Manifest Destiny
The idea that it was a God-given right to settle all land
The American people would do anything that allowed them to fulfill this
Effects of civil war
Homestead
Patches of land (160 acres each) were being sold at a low cost - this encouraged people to develop on land - population starting to spread out
Railroad
The building of the railroad encouraged migration and made it easier - reducing travel time from 6yrs to 6dys
Those who worked on and maintained the railroad were building and living near the stations - people were starting to inhabit other areas
New inventions and Government acts
As new inventions were improved and became cheaper, they began to be used across the West.
If solutions to the problems of farming in the West could be found, a lot of money could be made.
Timber Culture Act 1873
160 acres was not sufficient for successful farming on the Great Plains.
The Timber Culture Act allowed a homesteader to claim a further 160 acres if they promised to plant trees on a quarter of it.
Trees had important roles
They acted as a wind break to slow down the Great Plains winds to shelter cops from damage
They provided settlers with timber for building houses, fences and furniture, and repairing equipment
They provided settlers with fuel
The Timber Culture Act was a correction to the Homestead Act that aimed to reduce the high rate of failed homesteads in the Great Plains
16 million acres were claimed under this Act - adding 50% more land claimed under the Homestead Act
The majority of claims were in Dakota Territory, Kansas and Nebraska
Most of the trees planted in this area died because there was not enough water