Chapter 10 YouTube videos
The Civil War was over and MN was moving toward a time of peace and prosperity based on agriculture. The soil in southern MN was rich and flat but had not yet been broken. The land was covered by tall grasses that had a heavy tangle of roots called sod. This protected the soil beneath it and stored water during dry seasons. Cutting through the tough sod was hard work.
Starting Small in Lincoln County
Homestead Act - 1862 - law that provided up to 160 acres of land to settlers who would live on it and farm it for 5 years.
- subsistence farmers - (1860's) families who produced enough food to feed themselves, but not enough to sell at market
Settlers who moved to southern MN could stake a claim on the prairie under the Homestead Act in 1862. They had to build a house when they arrived at their land. Houses were made out of:
1) milled lumber
2) cut logs
3) sod
John and Sarah Tainter - helped set up a farm
Most early settlers were subsistence farmers who grew crops like potatoes, turnips, corn and sometimes wheat. There were hard times like the grasshoppers who destroyed crops and a long winter in 1880-1881.
Farm Life
Every member of the family had jobs on the farm.
- Man/Husband
1) plow, plant, and harvest crops
2) repair buildings and care for the animals
3) logger, veterinarian, lawyer, well digger, and accountant
- Woman/Wife
1) took care of children, cooked, did laundry
2) made soap, sewed and mended clothes
3) preserved fruits and vegetables for winter
4) cared for chickens and cows, made butter, cared for garden
- Children
1) carried firewood and brought water
2) weeded garden, gathered eggs, helped in fields, cared for younger brothers and sisters
Changes on the Farm
- market farming - (1870's) one crop farming
1) depleted the soil's nutrients
2) hard to earn money when prices fell
3) produced more than they could sell
- diversified farming - (1880's) practice of producing a variety of crops and livestock
1) variety of crops and livestock
- cooperative - an organization formed to buy or sell products as a large group in order to get better prices
The Grange
1) Oliver H. Kelley founded first nationwide farmers' association
2) called the Grange or Patrons of Husbandry
3) shared concerns, learn new ways of farming, enjoy company
4) formed cooperatives to buy and sell produce and things they needed
5) women were equal members
Life was hard and farmers needed to borrow money and supplies. They owned a team of oxen. When they had more money they wanted a cash crop to sell and make money. This cash crop was wheat. It was easy to cultivate and prices were good.
Thinking Big in Lincoln County
In 1879 the railroad had reached Lincoln County. It allowed farmers to get goods at cheaper rates, could transport goods at a cheaper cost, towns and buildings boomed, and it connected parts of MN and much of the US. With the railroad, mail could travel faster and farmers could buy and sell goods with people far away.
Land: How to Get It
- land speculators - someone who buys and sells land hoping to make a profit often at great financial risk
1) Homestead Act of 1862 - live on it for 5 years, buy it for $14
2) buy directly from railroads
3) settle without permission and buy from government for bargain prices
4) government programs - free land to soldiers
Land speculators like Louis Fertile guessed which land settlers would want to buy and charged them more for it so they could make a profit.
The Railroad: Friend or Foe?
1) friend - railroads grew as well as the state's population from 172,000 to 780,000. It attracted immigrants/settlers and encouraged settlement.Â
Government gave land to the railroads who then sold the land to pay for construction of their lines. This made sure they had new customers along the line.
2) foe - enemy
Railroads started charging more for shipping and storing crops. Cheated farmers by telling them grain wasn't worth as much as it was.
3) Grange
-turned political
- wanted the state to regulate railroads
- "Granger laws" - set maximum fares and rates; created Office of Railroad Commissioner
James J. Hill
1) owned Great Northern Railway
2) owned coal and iron mines, waterpower facilities, and ships
3) empire builder
empire - many businesses and companies