Friday, September 5, 2014

Back in 1869 the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. It linked the east to the west. It was very important and played a big role in the farming and ranching frontiers. It brought furniture to the west from the east and brought crops and cattle to the east from the west to be sold. Without the transcontinental railroad the farmers and ranchers would have a much harder time selling their crops and cattle.  How would life be different for farmers and ranchers if the transcontinental railroad was not completed?  Would you rather live in the west or the east? Why?

The ranching frontier was all about cattle and cattle drives. The transcontinental railroad made cattle drives easier because ranchers only had to drive their cattle half the distance. The Great Plains at that time was known as the Cattle Kingdom because there were a lot of cattle there. The cattle in the west were very important because they helped to feed the people in the east.  Many cattle herders were Mexicans and were called vaqueros. Unfortunately the winter of 1885-1886 was harsh and was followed by two dry summers. As a result 80 to 90 percent of all cattle in the Great Plains died. This put an end to the Cattle Kingdom of the past.  Would you like to be a rancher in the west?  Why or why not?
The farming frontier was positively impacted by the transcontinental railroad because it allowed the farmers to ship crops to the east. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed qualified people to receive 160 acres of free land if they farmed it and lived on the land for five years. This act caused many people to flock to the west.  Between 1862 and 1900, more than 400,000 families lived on the Great Plains. Due to the amount of wheat being grown in the Great Plains this area became known as the Great American Breadbasket.  About a third of the families struggled to farm the land for various reasons.  With little rainfall, farmers had to dig really far underground to get water. They used windmills for pumps and used the water to irrigate their fields. They also relied on steel plows to break through the tough soil.  Would you like to be a farmer on the Great Plains?  Why or why not? Would you rather be a farmer or rancher? Why?

4 comments:


  1. Life would be different for farmers and ranchers if the Transcontinental Railroad wasn’t completed because it would be hard for them to ship crops and livestock to other places in the country. Without railroads it would take these crops and livestock a long time to get to the east.
    If I lived during this time I would rather live in the west than the east because I can raise a lot of cattle in Kansas and grow good crops in the rich soil in Nebraska. I also like the west better because there are different opportunities in the west such as the Gold Rush.
    I would like to be a rancher in the west because in Kansas they have a ton of cattle that can be shipped almost anywhere. I would be able to make a lot of money when I sell my cattle.
    I would like to be a farmer in the Great Plains, but it also depends on where I would live. If I lived in Nebraska, South Dakota, or Kansas I would be happy because they better soil to grow crops with. If I lived in different areas of the Great Plains I would not have liked it as much.
    If I lived in the west I would rather be a rancher than a farmer because I am more of an animal person. I like to do chores such as feed them, give them water, clean their pens, and let them out to get exercise.
    Where in the west would you like to live and why? If you were a farmer and you could plant any crop that you wanted, what would you plant and why?

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  2. Life would be different if the transcontinental railroad wasn't completed because the farmers and ranchers won't be able to ship their goods and their animals for money. The ranchers would also have to go on long cattle drives and risk their cattle getting sick or getting stuck. It would be a lot harder for the ranchers and farmers to sell their crops and cattle.

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  3. If the transcontinental railroad was not built it would be hard for farmers and ranchers because you would have to do those long cattle drives it would also be hard on the cattle to walk all the way and most of them won't even make it but know that it is built there are no more cattle drives and they could just go up on the transcontinental railroad

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  4. I would rather be a farmer not a rancher because I'm an animal kind of person and I don't want to see animals be butchered. I would be a farmer because i love to plant gardens and eat tomatoes, sweet corn, and cucumbers.

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