Topic 4.3: Settling the West

Which industry was the first to attract settlers to the West after the Civil War?

• Farming

• Mining

• Ranching

• Railroads

What did ranchers use to drive longhorn cattle across the open range?

• Railroads

• Rivers

• Trails

• Highways

What type of fencing did farmers use to close off their farms, leading to the closing of the 'open range'?

• Wooden fencing

• Stone walls

• Barbed wire fencing

• Electric fencing

What act did Congress pass in 1862 to give free western land to farmers?

• Land Grant Act

• Homestead Act

• Agricultural Act

• Settlement Act

What were African Americans who took advantage of the Homestead Act to escape the South known as?

• Pioneers

• Exodusters

• Trailblazers

• Settlers

What connected miners, ranchers, and farmers to eastern cities in 1869?

• The Oregon Trail

• The Transcontinental Railroad

• The Pony Express

• The Santa Fe Trail

What did the federal government give to encourage railroad construction?

• Cash grants

• Land grants

• Tax breaks

• Equipment grants

What was a major challenge faced by cattle ranching by the 1880s?

• Lack of water

• Harsh winters

• Disease outbreaks

• High taxes

What new variety of crop did homesteaders plant on the Great Plains?

• Corn

• Wheat

• Rice

• Barley

How many railroads extended to the Pacific Coast by 1890?

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6