USII.4 Farmers and Ranchers

Until 1860, maps labeled the Great Plains areas as “The Great American Desert.” Which of the following best describes the landscape of the area?

• relatively flat land covered by prairie grasses, very dry, extreme winter temperatures

• relatively flat land covered by dense forests, very dry, warm winters

• mountainous land with many canyons, unicorns and a few dragons

• mountainous land with little vegetation, forests, streams, cold winters

Windmills were used to

• water to irrigate their fields

• generate electricity

• scare locusts away

• pump oil from the ground

Which of the following would be considered a technological improvement that benefited farmers of the Great Plains? It was used to keep cattle off a farmer's land.

• wet farming

• wheat barges

• barbed wire

• steam shovels

Newly free slaves flocked to Great Plains and became known as the _

• Exodusters

• Pioneers

• Homesteaders

• Settlers

The Homestead Act of 1862 stated that a US citizen who was head of a family could qualify for a land grant of up to 160 acres. To receive land, applicants had to pay a $10.00 registration fee, live on the site for at least six months every year for five years, and cultivate and improve the land for a full five years. Settlers could purchase the land outright after only six months of residence at a cost of $1.25 per acre. The Homestead Act was written to encourage people to _

• move west

• settle in urban areas

• return to Europe

• invest in industrial businesses

____ and provided a place to sell cattle that would be shipped to market back east.

• Cowtowns grew up near railroads

• Farms grew up near rivers

• Factories grew up near cities

• Markets grew up near ports

Mexican cowhands were known as _

• vaqueros

• rancheros

• gauchos

• caballeros

This “race” for the final remaining land of the western frontier that occurred in 1889 was called _

• the Oklahoma Land Rush

• the California Gold Rush

• the Texas Land Grab

• the Oregon Trail

Which was NOT a problem faced by cowboys and ranch hands on the long (cattle) drives?

• Stampedes

• Native American attacks

• Severe weather conditions

• Many fast food restaurants on the Great Plains

Which of the following technologies helped settlers overcome the lack of water in the Great Plains

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