What environmental challenge was most common for homesteaders on the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian?
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Correct answer: Severe drought and lack of reliable water sources
The 100th meridian roughly divides the humid East from the semi-arid West. Homesteaders often found that the traditional 160-acre plot was too small to support a family in a region where dry farming or irrigation was required.
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More Homestead Act questions
- The Morill Land-Grant Act of 1862 was passed alongside the Homestead Act to:
- Which invention allowed homesteaders to access deep underground water sources on the plains?
- The term 'Sodbuster' was a nickname for:
- John Deere’s contribution to the success of Western settlement was the invention of:
- Many homesteading women found that life on the frontier provided more opportunities for:
- What was a major reason for the high failure rate (nearly 60%) among original homesteaders?