Sod houses had many advantages. Their thick walls made them easy to heat in the winter and kept them cool in the summer. Strong winds could not blow them over. They would not burn down under any conditions. All of the sod needed for a house could be taken from a half acre of land. Neighbors often got together to help each other build these homes in “building bees” (Porterfield 39). Sod houses also had their flaws. They were impossible to keep clean. Some settlers hung cheesecloths from the rafters to catch the silt that fell down from the ceiling. During rainstorms, the roof leaked and sometimes collapsed. Even though the settlers sealed the walls, unwelcomed visitors such as mice, snakes and insects always found their way inside. Some homesteaders grew to love their “soddies,” but most were thankful when they could finally afford to buy lumber to build a frame house (Porterfield 39). Finding water was problematic for most homesteaders on the dry plains. Some settlers could depend on nearby creeks or rivers. Others collected rainwater in barrels and cisterns but most dug wells, sometimes digging more than 200 feet by hand before hitting water. One solution to the water shortage was dry farming. Farmers preserved moisture in the soil by plowing after the …show more content…
They were hoping to acquire free land and then sell it to someone else for profit. Families frequently lied about their children’s ages, so they could file additional claims to increase the families’ land holdings. The General Land Office was underfunded and unable to hire a sufficient number of investigators for its widely scattered offices. Overworked and underpaid investigators were often prone to bribery. As a result, countless dishonest people got away with filing fraudulent claims (Potter, Schamel
Each year, at least 7.8 trillion gallons of water are drawn up from the Ogalla Aquifer to irrigate the crops planted on the High Plains. These cros are the main food sourrce for our entire country. Tragically, irrigation is depleting the aquifer faster than it can replenish itself, and that is the problem. In fact, only the tiniest fraction of the water is ever replaced in the Ogallala Aquifer. If the water were ever fully depleted, the aquifer would need 6,000 years to refill naturally (Zwingle 83). The only way the Ogalla can be replenished is by water seeping down through the layers of soil until it reaches the aquifer. This water comes from the small amount of precipitation in the region, as well as from streams, reservoirs, canals, and irrigation (McGuire and Sharpe).
People could obtain land by applying with the Homestead Act after farming the land for five years. Water rights allowed all farmers to get water for crops and consumption. These water rights helped people work the prairie and farm.
The Southern Plains was a shortgrass prairie that was home to farmers and their livestock, but received little to no rain. John Wesley Powell “determined that 20 inches of rain was the minimum for successful farming” (Doc. E). According to the “Actual Precipitation for Dallam County, Texas” chart, that area in the Southern Plains fell below the recommended rainfall from 1924-1940, with the annual precipitation ranging from 9.78 inches to 15.32 inches (Doc. E). This meant that other areas inside the Southern Plains did not receive much rain as well. Even so, farmers continued to plow their land even though there was barely any rain, or grass. For example, in 1929, 105 million acres were harvested (Doc. D), but during that year, the precipitation
They had limited fresh water because the water in the rivers and creeks became brackish. The water had become brackish as the water levels rose, therefore fresh water would be scarce. (Doc. A) To find fresh water, they dug shallow wells, which later supplied them with drinking water. It was a smart idea that they dug the wells, but they were more vulnerable to drought and the invasion of salt water, says Document A as well.
the new settlers were wise about their choice to build their houses.they choose to make their home made out of brick so that their house will have a firm foundation and they also used other materials to but the purpose of the sturdy houses was to keep intruders out like
Compare and contrast A Raisin in the Sun with Death of a Salesman and give examples.
In early years of the colony, there life was quite difficult. Lots of the colonists lived in simple structures such as dugouts, wigwams, and dirt-floor huts Later in time construction of nomes and small shacks improved, and began to be sheathed in clapboard, with thatch roofs and wooden chimneys. More rich people would extend their house by adding a leanto on the back witch
Prior to the Dust Bowl, American travelers flooded into Colorado because of the Gold Rush of 1858. In spite of the fields of Colorado being in an extremely dry state, sponsors and designers reached a conclusion that preservation of water would be important to cultivate without the advantage of a watering system framework. While looking for effective cultivating strategies for this unpleasant landscape, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862 which permitted families to claim land. This urged a large number of families to move to the territory. Indeed, even in this way, families and ranchers would rely on upon the little rainfall to pulverize the dirt by delving more profound into it to bring the moist part on top so that the topsoil would
Each family had its own lot and some having up to four houses in addition some having two-story structure. Every house had its own purpose to a family for example; one house would hold food storage for winter other houses would be used for entertainment.
The settlement house changed the lives of those it served, providing a boarding club for young women in the workforce known as the Jane club. The Hull house house gave middle class women the chance to step outside of the home in order to be independent. Addams also wanted to tackle a serious issue, which was getting rid of the overwhelming trash on the streets. This made the conditions in the Nineteenth Ward poor, the homes and streets were unsanitary. The trash needed to be thrown away properly to prevent children from getting sick and dying of disease. People had been dying from typhoid and most people believed this was caused by the flies which had been carrying it around. Addams became a garbage inspector and organized a better plan to pick up garbage and dispose of it correctly for the Nineteenth Ward.
They had obtained a plot of ground in the northwest section of the settlement and were getting logs for the house which was built like other log houses. It was probably about the year 1869 when they moved from the Richins farm to their new home where they lived as farmers most of their lives.
During this time, many farmers produced or farmed cattle, corn, wheat, sheep, cotton, coal, oil, natural gas, and metals. “Most settlers of the region were accustomed to the climate of the eastern United States from where they had migrated. Thus, their farming practices were based on vastly different ecological conditions” (Buonanduci 3). Farmers were over-grazing and over-plowing their fields, not allowing the nutrients to return to soil. As a result,
Their solution to the crisis was to keep magnifying it, until it ruined the farmers. Once the railroad raised the price for the land, the farmers could not afford to buy. They proceeded to create “dummy buyers,” fictitious settlers who they created to come in and buy the land. Soon after Delany, a ranch worker was fired, the railroad used him to act as a “dummy buyer” and buy the land.
The structure of these houses is extremely sturdy. The Native Americans did the building of these houses in the spring when the wood was still flexible. This allowed for them to shape the wood into an arch like shape and bend it over the top. By bending the wood, then placing some kind of roof on top, the water would run off better and the smoke would escape quicker. Wooden posts were inserted into the ground and served as the framework of the house. By placing these into the ground, it assured that they wouldn’t be moving or bending. Posts were inserted very systematically to provide the structural stability, as well as separate the inside compartments from each other. These posts had horizontal posts which were lashed to them which provided support from the outside if you tried it get
The Traditional Chinese houses have many differences in comparison with the North American houses. The building materials used in construction is the most distinct difference from North American’s. A typical Chinese farmhouse is built of sun-dried bricks or pounded earth, because wood is too expensive and scarce to use. On the other hand, many typical Northern American houses are built of wood. In addition to the variations of building materials used in constriction, the architectural planning of a traditional Chinese houses is also unique. A traditional Chinese house is built according to the “Court-yard System'; where by houses are built around a courtyard which is invisible to the outside. Windows are covered by a thin oiled paper which is also invisible in order to protect robbery and keep privacy. Nowadays, the traditional housing system seldom appears in Hong Kong because it is too expensive and may cost millions of dollars. Moreover, the housing in Hong Kong is usually apartments and skyscrapers which is different from the ancient China.