... Even the poorest farmer could obtain land in the west. The Homestead Act offered 160 acres of land to any head of household, or adult who settled the land and lived there for five years. Advances in farming techniques and machines lead people to believe that farming was getting easier. As many settlers found out, this was untrue. These innovations made it easier to grow and harvest the wheat, corn, and other products, but farming was still a hard life. The fall of agricultural prices, due to over production, killed the hopes of many western farmers. Droughts, insect invasions, and the hardships of everyday life took a toll on those who survived the financial downfalls. Many gave up and returned to wherever the came from, but some were able to find new sources income farther west. Gold fever brought many settlers west into California. Men headed for the hills in search ...

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