The last frontier to fall before the westward march of civilization was
that of the farmer. Farmers were beginning to plow the virgin prairie
soil even before the Civil War, but after the conflict the line of
farming communities in Nebraska, Kansas, and the Dakotas began to move
relentlessly westward. The railroads were given large tracts of public
land which they sold to settlers. Many Civil War veterans took up free
land after their discharge, as provided for in the Homestead Act of
1862. The following selections illustrate the farming frontier on the
plains.