Moving West vocabulary defined (this is HW # 12-do not copy my definitions) Vocabulary Word Definition-in your own words 1. ore A mineral mined for the valuable substance it contains such as silver and gold. 2. lode Rich streaks (veins) of metallic rock sandwiched between layers of rock 3. transcontinental railroad A railroad extending across the United States which was completed on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah. 4. open range Land that is not fenced in or divided into lots. 5. Vaquero A Hispanic ranch hand. 6. homestead Homestead Act 1862 7. sodbuster p 537 Am. Journey 8. dry farming 9. nomadic The Homestead Act allowed settlers to acquire a piece of U.S. land by living on it and farming the land. If they stayed for 5 years, the 160 acres was theirs to keep. The nickname given to the Plains farmers. Planting seeds deep in the soil where it is still moist Moving from place to place, following a food source, with no permanent home. 10. reservation An area of public land set aside for Native Americans. 11. subsidy Money from the gov’t given to a person or company for an action intended to benefit the public. Ex. Farmers 12. vigilante Someone who took the law into his/her own hands. 13. ghost town A deserted boom town 14. boom town A mining town that became heavily populated very quickly. 15. The Great Plains Large part of land in the west central U.S. that was a grassy, treeless area with little rainfall and frequent dust storms. 16. frontier The land just past civilization 17. long drive (as related to cattle ranching) Herding cattle 1000 miles or more to the RR 18. barbed wire (this is not razor wire) Used to section off land to fence in and protect crops and cattle. 19. windmill Used by farmers and ranchers to pump water out of the ground which was used for crops and the homesteaders. 20. Exoduster Nickname given to former slaves who moved to Kansas. 21. rancher A person who herds beef cattle for a living Used by farmers to harvest wheat 22. reaper 23. Promontory Point, Utah This is where the Transcontinental Railroad finally joined up in 1869.