The subtitle of this slim book is “How Families Made Farms on the Nineteenth-Century Plains”, and is part of a series of books called “How Things Worked”. The focus of this book is mainly Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota, between about 1862 and 1900. And the author does not describe just how farms were created. He starts with the process of acquiring the land, mostly through the Homestead Act. He does describe the travails of “proving up” the property, in order for the homesteader to have clear title. Then he discusses how towns and communities were formed, and how they matured, or not, after the initial real estate booms.
While the book focuses on only four states, I am guessing that some of the same factors described would apply to some of the surrounding states, as well. The building of the railroads impacted the entire country. This was not just due to railroads providing an additional form of transportation to these areas, but the railroads themselves sold land to settlers, encouraged immigration from other countries to these newly available lands, and were pivotal in determining where towns were located. And while the railroads were not the only factor impacting the steady movement of settlers into these areas, they definitely played a role, something I don’t think we realize as much these days. Whether settlers came from abroad or from within the United States, several factors impacted their ability to stay on their land. Immigrants may not have had a place to return to, which may have made them more determined to stay. Within both groups, there was a wide variance in the knowledge and experience they had in farming, which also impacted their chances of success.
If you had any family living in the Great Plains area during the time frame listed, this book will shed some light on why they moved there, and what their life was like. Not just the day-to-day work, but the possibility of disasters, from tornadoes to prairie fires to swarms of grasshoppers. While this book does not dwell on the negatives, it also does not ignore the potential impact of large or small disasters. It also discusses what might have drawn them to these areas. I had three great granduncles who moved from Minnesota to South Dakota between 1880 and 1900. Now I have some inkling why.
If this was your family, how would you research them? Checking census and land records are a good start. Many “homesteaders” did not intend to stay on the land, but were only trying to make a profit on the investment, so a land grant does not guarantee your ancestors lived there. Also, there were some that tried to make a go of it, and failed. Newspaper research could be useful here. You might learn that there was a specific incident that caused your family to give up their land. Or, if you can search newspapers from their original home town, you might find the advertisement or article that inspired them. The list of suggested further reading at the end of this book has a number of titles that look interesting.