The American West Topic Summaries

White American development and exploitation of the Plains

GCSE > History > WJEC > GCSE History: The American West (1835-1895) > Reconstruction era (1865–1877) > White American development and exploitation of the Plains
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Key terms
  • Railroads: opened the Plains to settlement and economic exploitation. Railroad companies received government land grants and advertised cheap land to attract settlers.
  • Ranching and cow towns: open-range ranching flourished due to abundant grass and few fences. Cow towns such as Abilene became centers of cattle trade.
  • Homesteaders and the Timber Culture Act (1873): many homesteaders who had claimed land under the 1862 Act struggled to survive in the harsh conditions of the plains. They built sod houses due to lack of timber but suffered droughts and blizzards that made farming difficult.
    • The Timber Culture Act encouraged tree planting to act as windbreaks, shelter crops, and provide timber for fuel. It stated that homesteaders could claim an extra 160 acres if they promised to plant trees on half of the land.
    • 16 million acres were claimed under this Act by 1878. Minnesota was the most successful in covering land with trees.
    • However most of the trees planted died due to the lack of water. There were also several loopholes; for example, some people claimed land with no intention of settling, and just waited a few years to sell land at a profit.
    • This Act nevertheless helped establish new tree planting techniques and boosted the American economy as homeowners paid more tax.

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