Which technological innovation was most essential for homesteaders to fence their land on the treeless plains?
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Correct answer: Barbed wire
Introduced by Joseph Glidden, barbed wire provided a cheap and effective way to mark property and contain livestock. This innovation effectively ended the era of the 'open range' used by cattle ranchers.
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More Homestead Act questions
- The Timber Culture Act of 1873 was an amendment to the Homestead Act that allowed settlers to claim more land if they:
- A major criticism of the Homestead Act's effectiveness was that much of the best land was actually acquired by:
- In the context of the Homestead Act, what was a 'land run'?
- What environmental challenge was most common for homesteaders on the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian?
- 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?