Homesteaders

What was a homesteader?

A homesteader was a farmer who accepted land under the Homestead Act.

Why did the number of homesteaders grow?

There were 3 main reasons why there was a rise in the number of people moving west after the Civil War.

• ❖ The US government introduced new laws to encourage settlement of the west.
• ❖ The construction of transcontinental railroads made it easier to travel west and to transport supplies there.
• ❖ Many ex-soldiers and ex-slaves wanted to start a new life after the Civil War.

What difficulties did homesteaders face?

Homesteaders had a number of challenges when trying to farm the Plains.

• ❖ There was a lack of materials for building homes and fences.
• ❖ There was a lack of fuel for fires and cooking.
• ❖ There was a lack of water from rivers and rainfall.
• ❖ The weather could be unpredictable and dangerous.
• ❖ The soil was tough, and difficult to plough.
• ❖ There was a problem with pests. Crops could be trampled by buffalo, or eaten by swarms of grasshoppers.
• ❖ Many of the crops that homesteaders farmed, such as maize, did not grow well on the Plains.
• ❖ Homesteads were spread out, so there was a lack of a close community for social interaction, goods and services.

How did homesteaders overcome their difficulties?

While many homesteaders' attempts to farm failed, some did discover solutions to the problems. A number of new ideas and inventions helped make life easier for the homesteaders.

• ❖ Sod, or tough mud, was dug up and used to build houses.
• ❖ Barbed wire was invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874, which made it possible for homesteaders to fence their land.
• ❖ Homesteaders used buffalo chips (dried buffalo dung) as fuel.
• ❖ In 1854, Daniel Halladay invented a windmill that helped to pump underground water to the surface.
• ❖ Farmers used 'dry farming' methods to keep moisture in the soil.
• ❖ In 1830, John Deere made the 'sodbuster' plough, which could cope with the tough earth on the Plains.
• ❖ New machinery, such as threshers and reapers, were developed. Large areas of land were particularly suited to mechanisation.
• ❖ Russian settlers on the Plains brought new, hardy varieties of crop, such as Turkey Red wheat.
• ❖ As the railroads developed, supplies were brought to the homesteaders on the Plains. It also meant they could travel more easily.