The American West (c1835-c1895): Technology and Inventions

The list below describes several important developments that helped homesteaders tackle the problems of farming on the Great Plains.

Windmills

Windmills helped to deal with the lack of water. In 1874, Daniel Halladay invented a windmill that could pump water out of deep wells below the ground. However, they needed constant maintaining and could only pump water up to 30ft deep. It was not until the 1880’s that these problems were solved.

Dry farming

This also dealt with the lac of water. After heavy rain, farmers would immediately plough their land so that a layer of dust covered the surface. This helped preserve any moisture in the soil underneath.

Barbed wire

Barbed wire was used to fence off crops. This helped protect the crops from animals and cattle. There was little timber on the Great Plains, so barbed wire provided a cheaper and more effective solution.

Sulky plough

This was a steel plough that was pulled by horses. The land on the Great Plains was very difficult to plough, but the sulky plough was able to plough through tough weeds and prairie grass.

New wheat

In the 1870s some Russian immigrants, known as Mennonites, settled on the Great Plains. They introduced Turkey Red wheat to the Plains. Homesteaders realised that wheat was much easier to grow on the Plains than corn. Homesteaders were soon able to export grain for profit.