The most important Great Plains crop is
wheat
. Although the United States and Canada together produce slightly less wheat than China (the world’s leading wheat grower), the two North American countries account for more than half of the world’s wheat exports.
Which of the following railroad companies were involved in building the transcontinental railroad *?
The rail line, also called the Great Transcontinental Railroad and later the “Overland Route,” was predominantly built by
the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) and Union Pacific (with some contribution by the Western Pacific Railroad Company)
over public lands provided by extensive US land grants.
What crop became the staple crop of the Great Plains?
As migrants moved westward into the Great Plains after 1854, they brought with them familiar “American” practices such as raising livestock, which also required that they produce a corn crop for feed.
Corn and wheat
became the most important crops of the Plains, just as they had been in the more humid eastern states.
How did the Great Plains become a center of American agriculture?
The Great Plains became known as the
breadbasket of the world because of all the grain and wheat that the Plains produced
. The Great Plains’ farmers output of wheat could feed the whole world. As more farmers and immigrants moved West, more grain was produced.
What invention brought an end to the open range on the Great Plains?
The invention of
barbed wire
changed the west permanently by limiting the open range and starting many fights over land.
Which crop is most common in the Great Plains?
The major harvested crops in the Great Plains are
wheat, hay, corn, and cotton
. Wheat is the dominant harvested crop (50% of the harvested land), followed by hay (20%), corn (15%), and cotton (4%). Cotton is grown primarily in the southern Great Plains (Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico).
What is a fact about the Great Plains?
The Great Plains are
a vast high plateau of semiarid grassland
. Their altitude at the base of the Rockies in the United States is between 5,000 and 6,000 feet (1,500 and 1,800 metres) above sea level; this decreases to 1,500 feet at their eastern boundary.
What was the biggest obstacle to building the railroad?
While a shopkeeper by trade, Strong was known around the area as an expert on the terrain of
the Sierra Nevada mountains
. Judah needed someone who could function on land like a harbor pilot might on the water because the Sierra Nevada loomed as the greatest obstacle to building the transcontinental railroad.
Who finished the railroad first?
One hundred and fifty years ago on May 10, 1869, university
founder Leland Stanford
drove the last spike that marked the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
How were the railroad companies paid?
In most cases, a contract for construction of a given amount of mileage would be made between the railroad and some individual, who then assigned it to the construction company. Payment for completed sections of track went to the railroad, which used the
funds to pay its bills to the contractors
.
What made it easier for farmers to harvest their crops on the Great Plains?
The Great Plains became known as the breadbasket of the world because
of all of the grain that was farmed and produced there
. This all happened because all of the farming technology increased, and developed, making it easier to harvest the crops such as grain, which led to its nickname, the Breadbasket.
Why is the Great Plains good for farming?
Large farms and cattle ranches cover much of the Great Plains. In fact, it is some of the best farmland in the world.
Wheat is an important crop
, because wheat can grow well even without much rainfall. Large areas of the Great Plains, like this land in Texas, are also used for grazing cattle.
How does the Great Plains make money?
Thus, the Great Plains have remained basically an
agricultural area producing wheat, cotton, corn (maize), sorghum, and hay
and raising cattle and sheep. … Livestock accounts for a large percentage of farm income in most of the plains states.
What 3 inventions closed down the open range?
How might these fences affect your method of ranching? With the invention of
barbed wire
, rangelands were enclosed, the cattle drives ended, and a new way of moving cattle to emerging markets was introduced.
What were the biggest obstacles to settlement on the Great Plains?
Water shortages
– low rainfall and few rivers and streams meant there was not enough water for crops or livestock. Few building materials – there were not many trees on the Great Plains so there was little timber to use for building houses or fences.
What brought an end to the Great Plains?
In the end both
the Indian Peace Commission and the Dawes Act failed
to benefit the Indians in any way, leading to the end of the Plains Indians way of life.
