Chapter Seven
Mining, Farming, Lumber, and Fame
Objectives:
A.4.4 Describe and give examples of ways in which people interact with the physical
environment, including use of land, location of communities, methods of construction,
and design of shelters.
D.4.2 Identify situations requiring an allocation of limited economic resources and
appraise the opportunity cost(for example, spending ones allowance on a movie will
mean less money saved for a new video game).
D.4.3 Identify local goods and services that are part of the global economy and explain
their use in Wisconsin.
D.4.4 Give examples to explain how businesses and industry depend upon workers with
specialized skills to make production more efficient.
D.4.5 Distinguish between private goods and services (for example, the family car or a
local restaurant) and public goods and services (for example, the interstate highway
system or the United States Postal Service).
D.4.5 Identify the economic roles of various institutions, including households,
businesses, and government.
D.4.7 Describe how personal economic decisions, such as deciding what to buy, what to
recycle, or how much to contribute to people in need, can affect the lives of people in
Wisconsin, the United States, and the world.
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Vocabulary: 7
peck
a unit of measure; one-fourth of a bushel
extract
to draw out by effort, to remove
mineral
an inorganic substance found naturally in the earth
teamsters
workers who haul loads with a team or truck
decline
a downward slope
market value
the price of something determined by current availability
lease
a contract to rent land or buildings to a tenant
self-sufficient
able to get along without help
cash crop
a crop raised for money
scythe
a tool with a long single-edged blade
reaper
a machine used to harvest grain
supply and demand
a law of economic trade
separator
a machine used to withdraw cream from milk
pasteurize
to destroy bacteria in milk
homogenize
to process milk so that fat particles are unable to separate
home industry
when a product is made and sold from one’s home
rennet
a preparation used to curdle milk
curdle
to form into a coagulated curd from which cheese is made
staple
a chief commodity made or grown in a particular place
mechanical
having to do with machinery or tools
economy
the management of income
logjam
an obstacle of logs jamming together in a stream
pinery
forest in the northern part of Wisconsin
lumberjack
a worker who cuts down trees or works in a sawmill
shanties
shacks, shabby little houses
choppers
a nickname for men who cut down trees
barkers
men who remove branches from trees that have been cut down
sawmills
factories where trees are sawed into boards
mortgage
pledging property for the payment of a debt
shares
any of the equal parts of capital stock of a corporation
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Introduction:
Activity 1-Consult with local contacts, parents, grandparents, or businesses, to find
an introductory speaker for this chapter. Ask the person to tell about their
experience in farming, mining or the lumber business.
Activity 2-Invite the children to read to discover the history of these professions in
the state of Wisconsin. Use a library search or appropriate internet sites such as:
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/states/wisconsin
Activity 3-Develop a questionnaire that students may use to interview a friend or
relative who has been active in one of these professions. Students may share their
findings with the class.
Reading Guide:
Teachers may direct the class to read the assignment using the following questions
to guide thinking and understanding of the information.
First, read the questions.
Second, read the passage from the book.
Third, read the questions and determine if you have retained the information
and/or can draw a conclusion or answer.
Lead-Mining Days
Who were the first lead miners?
The first lead miners were Native Americans.
How did Native Americans “mine” and use lead?
Native Americans did not mine, but they picked the lead up off the ground. They
used it in trade with others. They could trade a peck of lead for a peck of corn.
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Who owned most of the land where lead mines were located?
Native Americans owned the land that contained lead. Most of the land belonged
to the Sauk and Fox Indians and the Ho-Chunk Indians.
Who was the first non-Indian to mine lead on a large scare?
Julien Dubuque, a French Canadian trader, was the first to mine lead on a large
scale. He made a bargain with the Fox people to allow him free use of the lead
on their lands.
How did Native Americans lose the mineral rights to their land?
Congress passed a law giving all mineral rights on Indian lands to the U.S.
government.
What are minerals? List some minerals.
Minerals include oil, natural gas, coal, metals such as copper, gold, mica, iron
and lead, limestone, building stones, and salt.
When and where was the first lead mining settlement established?
The first lead mines were made in 1824 at New Diggings.
Why did so many settlers move to Wisconsin after 1825?
People could make a fortune in lead mining. About 10,000 people moved into
Wisconsin because of lead mining. Mining Lead/The Decline of Lead Mining
Describe where miners lived in the summer? In the winter?
In the summer miners who were non-Indian lived in tents.
In the winter the non-Indian miners lived in holes in the sides of the hills.
Why were the miners called “badgers?”
Badgers dig holes in the ground and make a burrow. The miners were called
badgers because they burrowed in the ground in the winter.
How was lead moved or shipped?
The lead was moved by river routes and also through the Great Lakes.
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Who moved the lead to the water transportation?
Men called teamsters moved the lead by using horses to pull the load.
Teamsters later became drivers of trucks.
What happened to the price of lead by 1829?
The price of lead was very low. Five thousand pounds of lead would buy a barrel
of flour.
What occurred that caused the decline of lead mining?
Gold was discovered in California and the price of lead declined.
Farming
Why was the federal leasing of land ended in Wisconsin?
Some of the people who had been lead miners decided to become farmers. They
wanted to buy the land not lease it. The government decided to sell the land at
auctions.
Life on the Farm
Describe life on an early Wisconsin farm.
What was life like for the children on a farm?
(Encourage the students to discuss life on the farm.
Compile a list that tells what farm life would have been like.)
Growing Wheat
What was the main cash crop in Wisconsin until the 1840s?
The main cash crop was wheat.
What was the tool used in harvesting wheat?
A scythe was used in harvesting wheat. It was a hand tool.
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What invention increased the production of wheat?
The horse drawn McCormick reaper could cut as much wheat as ten workers with
scythes.
Why did demand for Wisconsin wheat drop?
Southern farmers grew a new kind of wheat that was easier to grind and easier to
bake. Wheat production also decreased because the farmers used the land over
and over. The soil ceased to grow good wheat.
What type of farming replaced wheat?
The farmers who had lived in New England became dairy farmers.
The School of Agriculture
How did the University of Wisconsin help farmers solve their problems?
They founded the School of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin. During
the winter, the school helped farmers find answers for farming problems.
William Hoard/Stephen Babcock
Who was the “father of modern dairying?” What did he do?
William Hoard taught how to improve dairying, published a dairyman’s
magazine, and served as Wisconsin’s governor in 1889-91.
What problems did Stephen Babcock solve as a scientific researcher?
Babcock invented the milk separator and the butterfat test. He studied feeding
practices for cows. His work contributed to the discovery of vitamins.
Farming and Dairying
Make a list of farming practices labeled Then and Now.
Then
Now
Mules and horses were used to farm. Tractors and modern machines are used to farm.
Grew food to feed the family
Grows food to feed the world
Family owned farms
Family and corporation owned farms
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List the steps for milk from the cow and farm to your table:
Automatic milking machines milk the cow.
Milk is piped to a big tank.
A tank truck pumps the milk into the truck’s tank.
The milk is hauled to the dairy plant.
The milk company pasteurizes and homogenizes the milk, then makes milk
products.
The dairy company ships the products to grocery stores and other sales locations.
Consumers buy the products and take them home.
Products That Made Wisconsin Famous
Cheese/The First Cheese Factory/Rennet/Wisconsin, Cheese King
Who ran Wisconsin’s first cheese factory in her kitchen?
Mrs. Anna Pickett of Lake Mills ran the first cheese factory.
Chester Hazen built the first for-profit cheese factory.
What product from Wisconsin won the highest-ranking prize at the Centennial
Exposition in Philadelphia?
M. N. Seward of Aztalan made two cheeses for the Exposition. Each one weighed
nearly 2,500 pounds.
What makes curds in soft cheese such as cottage cheese?
Rennet is used to make curds in cheese.
What food makes Wisconsin famous?
Wisconsin produces more cheese than any other state. Colby cheese is the most
famous Wisconsin cheese. Joseph Steinwant made the first Colby in 1885.
Beer
Why was beer a “staple” in European homes?
They drank beer with meals and to quench thirst on a hot day when they were
working. They also drank beer because the water was not fit to drink.
What crop did farmers produce for the beer industry?
Farmers, especially German farmers, produced barley for the beer industry.
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Ice
Why was the ice on Green Bay, in lakes and in rivers important to Wisconsin’s
economy?
In the late 1800s ice was taken from Green Bay, natural lakes and rivers. The ice
was used to keep beer, meat and other foods cold enough to be shipped and sold
nationwide.
How is ice made today?
Ice is made commercially by machine.
Lumber and Paper
Where was the pinery located. Who owned most of the pinery?
The pinery was located in the northern half of Wisconsin. The U.S. government
owned most of the thick pine forest.
Why were Wisconsin’s rivers important to the development of the forest industry?
When the U.S. leased the pine forest to lumber companies, they cut logs close to
the rivers. They then used the streams to float the logs to sawmills.
How did this influence the development of Wisconsin?
Towns grew around the logging areas when workers came to work for the lumber
and paper industry.
What was the job of choppers and barkers?
Choppers used axes and saws to cut down trees. Barkers cut off the branches to
make the logs easier to move.
Where were logs stacked during the winter logging season?
Logs were pulled on large sleds and stacked near rivers and streams.
Why did some lumberjacks work only in the winter?
Some lumberjacks worked only in the winter and then went home to be farmers.
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What caused the lumber industry to expand in the late 1800s?
The railroads were able to move wood by rail the entire year. Forest products
became the backbone of Wisconsin economy.
The Peshtigo Fire
What was the Peshtigo Fire?
A large forest fire started near the village of Peshtigo. More than a thousand
people died in the fire. The people could not escape the flames.
What other fire happened on the same day and is better remembered?
The Chicago fire was started by Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. The fire spread and much
of the city was burned. Between 200 and 300 died in that fire. The telegraph
quickly spread the news about the Chicago fire.
How were the people who perished in the Peshtigo fire honored?
Wisconsin’s first historical marked was placed in the cemetery where many of the
fire victims were buried.
The Paper Industry
How were flour mills used after farmers stopped planting wheat?
The flour mills were converted into paper mills.
What was used to make paper?
At first the mills used rags to make paper. Then the millers learned to use wood
pulp to make paper. Some of the largest paper mills still operate in Wisconsin.
Today’s Paper Mills
How do paper mills operate today?
The wood used in paper mills today is not from Wisconsin. The forests in
Wisconsin became too small. The pulp is imported, but Wisconsin is still the
number one producer of paper in the United States.
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Stars of Wisconsin’s Inventions and Industry
As the children read this passage, give them worksheet to match the industrialist with the
invention or industry that that person developed.
The Horseless Carriage Race
Where was the first horseless carriage race held? How many carriages entered?
The Wisconsin legislature held a race run between Green Bay and Madison for a
$10,000 prize. There were two entries. The Oshkosh car run but received only
half the money because it would not run backward.
Railroads
How were products brought to market or moved before the railroad was
built?
Goods were moved by river, canals steamboats and wagons.
Why were railroads important to Wisconsin?
Trains moved goods faster. They also carried people. Towns wanted
railroads and gave them money and land to get them to come to their
town.
Farming and Railroads
Why did farmers mortgage their land to help build railroads?
The railroads did not have enough money to lay tracks to all the people
who needed to use the railroad to move their crops to market.
How were the mortgages used by the railroad?
The railroad used the value of the farmer’s land to borrow money from
banks and investors so that the railroads could expand their tracks and
stations.
How were the farmers to be benefited?
They would pay to ship their crops to reach many more customers. Other
people would also use the railroad. The profits made by the railroad
would pay back the farmers for their support.
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The Plan That Failed
What is an economic panic?
People are afraid that there will lose their money, and that banks will fail.
List some of the reasons the plan failed.
Problems in the country affected spending everywhere.
Farm prices fell.
People were afraid the banks would fail and took out their money.
The railroads companies could not pay the investors.
Many farmers lost their money and their land.
Who was elected as governor in 1901 that gave new hope for a better life for
Wisconsin citizens?
Robert M. La Follette was elected governor.
How well do I remember?
What was “the lead rush?”
What was the most important crop in the 1800s?
Why is dairy farming important to the economy of Wisconsin?
Where did farmers in the late 1800s get ice? How did they use the ice?
What was the pinery?
Why were the rivers important to the forest industry?
Why were railroads important to Wisconsin? How were they used?
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Intergrating the Curriculum:
Math:
Measurement:
Farmers use measurement in all parts of their work and lifestyle. Collect various
containers that hold a specified amount in liquid or solid measure. Try to include jars
used in canning, a peck sack, a bushel basket, etc.
Set up a rice station. Cover the floor with plastic or a large tray for easy cleaning. Not
all containers hold the exact amount they show on the label. Allow children to use
standard measuring cups and spoons to check the volume of these containers.
Questions to ask:
Is there more than one measurement listed on the label? (Usually there will be
standard and metric listed. You may find that the metric is correct but the ounces will be
less if filled to the level generally sold to the consumer. This activity is a springboard for
discussing economics on a day to day living level.
Is it always better to buy the large economy size? This is an excellent way to check
the cost of common use items such as cereal. Using division skills, find out the cost per
ounce for different sizes of the same brand.
How can retailers afford to “put items on sale?” When is a sale item a good buy?
Using the local weekly grocery advertisements, compare prices for a list of foods. Some
children might be willing to check prices when t hey shop with the family.
Science:
Making Butter:
Using heavy cream, children can make butter by shaking the cream in a quart
container. Put a pint of cream into the jar. Be sure the container and cream are
very cold. Allow each student to shake the jar about 10 to 15 shakes. The butterfat
will collect on the sides of the jar. The last part of the process requires vigorous
shaking. The butter will roll into a soft ball with the “buttermilk” inside the jar.
Carefully remove the butter to a bowl, add a few grains of salt and work it with a
spoon to press out the remaining liquid. Serve a taste on crackers.
This internet site gives excellent information for making butter.
http://webexhibits.org/butter/doityourself.html
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Papermaking: (Forest Industry)
Consult the following sites to find directions to making paper or simply type “How
do you make paper?” into your own favorite search engine.
This would be an excellent activity to help students understand the value of a sheet
of paper. The handmade paper could be used for an invitation to a class
presentation at the end of the Wisconsin study.
http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art221/papermaking.html
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/3892/
Bibliography:
Mac Lachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. Harper Trophy, 1996.
(Newbery Medal Winner)
Harrington, Roy. Grandpa’s John Deere Tractors. American Society of Agricultural
Engineers, 1996.
Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn. Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997.
(Newbery Honor Book)
Olsen, W. Scott. Meeting the Neighbors: Sketches of Life on the Northern Prairie. North
Star Press of St. Cloud, 1993.
(Teacher reference)
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Vocabulary Activity 1-Chaper 7
Mining
Choose a word from the vocabulary box to complete each
statement. You may use the glossary to find definitions.
1. The farmer measured the grain using a _____________________measure.
A peck is equal to one-fourth a bushel or eight quarts.
2. The miners worked hard to ______________________the lead ore from the ground.
3. Mica is a ______________________found naturally in Wisconsin.
4. My grandfather and father were ____________________. Grandfather used mules
to haul a load, but my father used a truck.
5. The price of lead began to _____________when gold was discovered in California.
6. The ___________
____________ of a product can change depending on how much
is produced or mined.
7. Because miners lived in holes they burrowed out of the sides of hills in winter, they
were called ___________________. Badgers are animals that live in a burrow.
badgers
peck
decline
market value
extract
mineral
teamsters
leased
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Vocabulary Activity 2 , Chapter 7
Farming
Choose a word from the vocabulary box to complete each
statement. You may use the glossary to find definitions.
2. Some farmers could not afford to buy land, so they __________________ it for a fee
each year.
3. When a farmer raises everything his family needs, he is _______________________.
4. Crops sold to others for money by a farmer are called a
__________________________.
5. Before the invention of the reaper, farmers used a ________________ to cut grain.
6. When the ___________________ was invented, farmers planted more wheat.
7. The law of _____________________________ determines the price of crops or
goods. If there is too much of a product, the price drops. If there is too little of a
product, the price rises.
8. Stephen Babcock invented the __________________, a machine that removed the
cream from milk.
9. When milk is heated to destroy bacteria, it is _________________________.
10. When milk is processed in a way to make the cream remain uniform in the milk it is
___________________________.
11. A person who produces a product in the house where they live has developed
a __________ _______________.
12. An extract from a calf’s stomach that is used to curdle milk is_________________.
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13. When milk __________________ it makes curds for cottage cheese.
14. A ____________________ is a product such as flour and salt used by almost
everyone .
15. A __________________ device is a machine that is used to do a task.
self-sufficient
scythe
supply and demand
pasteurized
home industry
curdles
staple
leased
cash-crop
reaper
separator
homogenized
rennet
mechanical
Draw a line to match all the facts to the correct person or place.
Stephen Babcock
invented the milk separator and the butterfat test.
built a school of agriculture.
The University of Wisconsin
founded the Wisconsin Dairymen’s Association.
Offered classes to farmers to help them learn better
practices of farming.
William Hoard
Studied feeding practices for cows and contributed
to the discovery of vitamins.
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Name_____________________________________ Date________________________
Lumber and Paper
Choose a word from the vocabulary box to complete each
statement. You may use the glossary to find definitions.
1. The way a society produces and manages wealth is the _________________ of the
society.
2. When logs form a ______________________, they pile up in a stream and cannot
move without the help of a lumberjack. Today we use the term for anything that is
obstructing progress as, “The traffic was in a logjam on the expressway.
3. In northern Wisconsin, there was a dense pine forest called the ________________.
4. A man who works in the lumber industry is known as a ______________________.
5. Small, poorly constructed shacks or dwelling are called_______________________.
6. People who use axes or saws to fell trees are ______________________________.
7. Men who remove limbs from fallen trees are _______________________.
8. A factory where trees are sawed into boards is a ____________________.
9. When an owner pledges his property to secure money or pay a debt, the paper he
signs to agree to this term is called a _____________________________.
10. When you own a part of a corporation or business with others, you have
___________________ in the company.
choppers
lumberjack
economy
shares
mortgage
sawmills
logjam
“pinery“
barkers
shanties
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Stars of Wisconsin’s Inventions and Industry Name _____________
Match the industrialist or inventor with the company or products they developed.
repaired threshers for a living.
C. Latham Sholes
was a newspaper publisher.
improved the threshing machine and
built a factory that became one of the biggest farm
machinery companies in the world.
Edward P. Allis
invented a typewriter in 1864.
bought and operated a flour mill, bought the Bay
State Iron Manufacturing Co. and build machinery
for his flour mill and steam pumps for water
systems.
Jerome I. Case
was a newpaper publisher.
opened a sawmill machinery plant. One of his
employees invented the band saw used by all
sawmills.
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Chapter 7 Test-Living on a Wisconsin Farm
Name_______________________
After studying chapter 7, reflect on what your life might have been like if you had lived
on a Wisconsin farm. Write a diary entry describing a day on the farm.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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Chapter 7 Test -Mining, Farming, Lumber…and Fame
Name__________________
Complete the statement to make it true.
1. ____________ ___________________ did not mine underground. They gathered lead
from the top of the ground.
2. Children who lived on a farm were often unschooled because
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3.
When the McCormick Company invented the ________________________, farmers
began to plant more wheat.
4. In the beginning, farmers used horses to pull plows and planters, but today they use a
_______________________________.
5. ________________________ farming replaced the production of wheat when the soil
gave out.
6. Mrs. Anna Pickett of Lake Mills ran one of the first ___________________ factories in
her home.
7.
________________________ produces more cheese than any other state.
8. Men who work in the forest to harvest trees are called _________________________.
9. The threshing machine was improved by ______________________________________.
This caused Wisconsin farmers to plant more wheat.
10. The ______________________________ was a place in northern Wisconsin that
supplied trees for the forest industry.
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Answers for Chapter Worksheets and Test
Vocabulary Activity 1
1. peck
2. extract
3. mineral
4. teamsters
5. decline
6. market value
7. badgers
Vocabulary Activity 2
1. leased
2. self sufficient
3. cash-crop
4. reaper
5. supply and demand
6. separator
7. pasteurized
8. homogenized
9. homogenized
10. home industry
11. rennet
12. curdles
13. staple
14. mechanical
Match all the facts to the correct person or place.
Stephen Babcock
invented the milk separator and the butterfat test
Studied feeding practices for cows and contributed to the discovery
of vitamins
The University of Wisconsin
built a school of agriculture
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Offered classes to farmers to help them learn better practices of
farming
William Hoard
founded the Wisconsin Dairymen’s Association
Lumber and Paper
1.
economy
2. logjam
3. pinery
4. lumberjack
5. shanties
6. choppers
7. barkers
8. sawmill
9. mortgage
10. shares
Stars of Wisconsin’s Inventions and Industry
C. Latham Sholes
Was a newpaper publisher
Invented a typewriter in 1864
Edward P. Allis
Bought and operated a flour mill, bought the Bay State Iron
Manufacturing Co. and built machinery for his flour mill
and steam pumps for water systems.
Opened a saw kill machinery plant. One of his employees
invented the band saw used by all sawmills.
Jerome I Case
Repaired threshers for a living.
Improved threshing machine and built a factory that became
one of the biggest farm machinery companies in the world.
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Chapter 7 Test Answers
1. Native Americans
2. because they were needed to help with the labor on the farm.
3. reaper
4. tractor
5. dairy
6. cheese
7. Wisconsin
8. lumberjack
9. Jerome I. Case
10. pinery
Living on a Wisconsin Farm- Answers will vary.
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