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在更多建木與蓋房子的材料運來之前，許多開墾者為自己建造類似圖中這樣的稻草屋
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公地放領法案 (Homestead
Act) 於1862年5月20日生效了
北方的生意人認為免費的土地將會降低資產的價值，並且減少廉價的勞工來源。而南方人則擔心開墾者會要求廢除奴隸制度。趁著南方各州在內戰期間無暇置喙，「公地放領法案」正式通過，到了1900年，已經有60萬人登記擁有共8千萬英畝的土地。有許多拓荒者都搬到西部平原州，例如堪薩斯、內布拉斯加、科羅拉多，以及懷俄明等地。他們希望這些地方能夠繁榮起來，但是也知道這個決定是個大賭注。為什麼呢？
Northern businessmen thought free land would lower property values and reduce the cheap labor supply. Southerners feared homesteaders would add their voices to the call to stop slavery. With the Civil War silencing the protests of the South, the Homestead Act finally passed. By 1900, homesteaders had filed 600,000 claims for 80 million acres. Most pioneers moved to the Western Plain states such as Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming. They hoped for prosperity, but knew the move was a gamble. Why?
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