From pioneering to persevering : family farming in Indiana to 1880 / Paul Salstrom.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salstrom, Paul, 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Farm life--Indiana--History.

Farm life.

Family farms--Indiana--History.

Family farms.

Agriculture--Indiana--History.

Agriculture.

History.

Indiana.

Physical Description:

xii, 208 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

West Lafayette, Ind. : Purdue University Press, [2007]

Summary:

Thomas Jefferson envisioned an America based on family farming, and Indiana's pioneers came to southern Indiana to turn Jefferson's vision into a reality. At first, the dream was possible because land was inexpensive and fertile, but as farm families grew, Indiana's best and most accessible land became expensive. Much of the state's prolific early output of corn, hogs, and wheat was exported to New Orleans to garner capital for further land purchases.

Transportation advances, especially railroad expansion, further increased land prices adjacent to the new lines. Entry costs to farming spiraled upward. Those who still wanted to find land cheap enough to start farming were forced into the state's remote south-central hill country and into the boggy lands that stretched across the north. With most farming land now owned, settlers were forced westward to find suitable property. Hoosier farmers, however, were able to maximize their profits during the Civil War by using rails to move their crop and livestock output. This golden age led to a post-War preserving of the independent family farmer, especially for those who had significant acreage.

Salstrom examines the concept of "independence" and concludes that the label is not completely accurate. Hoosier farming was an inter-dependent activity leading to a society of borrowing and loaning. The interactions of farmers were replete with penalties for those who didn't help each other with certain tasks. Remarkably though, there was little communal sharing of equipment or property. When people talk about supporting family farming, as Salstrom notes, the larger Hoosier community was just as involved as the farmers, themselves.

Contents:

1 Native American Agriculture before European Contact 11

2 Native American Agriculture after European Contact 21

3 Why They Came 29

4 Where They Stopped and What They Started 37

5 Origins of the Corn Belt 51

6 Pioneering in Central Indiaina 59

7 Pioneering in Western Indiana 71

8 Pioneering in Northern Indiana 81

9 Solon Robinson, Hoosier Agrarian 91

10 The Competition 99

11 From Pioneering to Persevering 109

Epilogue: What Was at Stake? 121.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-187) and index.

ISBN:

9781557534538

1557534535

OCLC:

78071793