Who were the Homesteaders and why did they go West?

• Homesteaders = farmers of small holdings

• 1850s=

• 1860s=

• 1870s=

• 1880s=

Who were the Homesteaders and why did they go West?

• Homesteaders = farmers of small holdings

• 1850s= Kansas and Nebraska

• 1860s= South Dakota

• 1870s= Greatest numbers onto Plains

• 1880s= (Colorado and Montana). (1889) Oklahoma – Indian Lands.

Who were the Homesteaders and why did they go West?

Give a list of reasons using p. 62-4

Who were the Homesteaders and why did they go West?

• Mississippi valley too crowded• Poverty for immigrants• Religious persecution for Irish and Jews• Curiosity and career building• Letters encouraged relatives and friends• Newspaper and magazine articles• Officials who wanted to make a state• Railways who wanted to fund the railway• Advertising abroad and exploration tickets• Free Land – Homestead Act 1862 160acres free!

Who were the Homesteaders and why did they go West?

• H/W: Design a poster advertising the plains and persuading people to come and farm there.