Review for Notes 1 — 3 Crossing the

Review for Notes 1 - 3 Crossing the Continent

What is the word that means “good for growing crops? ” • Fertile

Name the labeled part on the map: • Colorado River

What effect did the reaper have on farming? • Farmers were able to produce more crops.

Name the labeled part on the map: • Rocky Mountains

How would you describe the terrain (land) west of the Mississippi River? • Grasslands, few trees, rugged mountains, deserts.

Another name for buffalo • Bison

This was the technology to help pump water from the ground • Windmills

What city was the “Gateway to the West”? • St Louis, MO

What did pioneers travel on before there were roads out West AND which group of people made this way to travel? • Trails created by Native Americans

What did many trails follow through the mountains? • Rivers

What did trails eventually create as more and more people settled out West? • towns

Who invented the barbed wire? Joseph Glidden

What was the first nickname for the Great Plains? • “Great American Desert”

What building material was scarce on the plains and what did pioneers use instead to make houses? • Trees were scarce, so people used sod to build houses

What is sod and how did if effect homes in the winter and summers? • Sod was thick grass and it made the homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer

What is a drought? • A period of little or no rain

Name the labeled part on the map: • Great Plains

Who invented the reaper? • Cyrus Mc. Cormick

Land out West allowed people to own their land create this kind of opportunity, which involves making money • It created ECONOMIC opportunity

Which government Act provided land for RR companies to build the RR lines? • Pacific Railway Act

Name the labeled part on the map: • Snake River

Which government Act provided 160 acres for 5 years if families improved the land? • Homestead Act

Name thee other major rivers west of the Mississippi River • Colorado River • Snake River • Columbia River

What was the government Act that provided land to states to create agricultural colleges to train people to be better farmers? • Morrill Act

What is a homestead and what were the people called who lived there? • The homestead is the land home on which people out west lived • The people who lived there were called homesteaders

What was another nickname for the Great Plains once we figured out how good the land was for farming? • American Breadbasket

Which two jobs were more permanent for people out West? • Ranchers and farmers

Which 2 jobs allowed people to move from place to place- as the resources moved? • Miners and fur traders

What was the name of the new technology that allowed farmers to cut wheat much faster than with the scythe? • Mechanical reaper

Who invented the steel plow? • John Deere/James Oliver

Name the labeled part on the map: • Mississippi River

Which new invention allowed settlers to cut through the thick sod? • Steel plow

Describe what life was like in a sod house. • • It was cool in summers/warm in winters Had to deal with bugs and snakes crawling around and on you You were constantly sweeping away dirt Sometimes you put up a sheet to keep the dirt from falling on you while eating or sleeping • There were leaks when it rained • If you built your house into a hill, sometimes you had “unexpected” guests that would “drop in”

What major effect did barbed wire have on farming? • Cattle could no longer trample the farmers’ crops

True or false: “Sooners” were people who jumped the gun in land races to claim their plot of land. • True

True or false: The Appalachian Mountains were the rugged mountains you cross as you move out West. • False- you cross the Rocky Mountains

Which invention kept the rancher’s cattle out of the farmer’s crops and why? • Barbed wire because it was a cheap fencing material

True or false: The Great Plains had great agricultural potential once we developed the technology. • True- even though at first we didn’t think so!

True or false: People first settled the Great Plains before settling the West coast. • False- we didn’t think the Great Plains had much potential at first so we passed right through them

Name the labeled part on the map: • Columbia River

These were able to survive the harsh, terrible winters on the plains because they could grow in cold temperatures. • Russian wheat seeds

Which natural resource could you infer would be the most important for settlers to have in order to survive? • water

How would you have crossed the country in the 1850 s? • Most likely by covered wagon on wagon trails since the railroad had not been completed