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What were bonanza farms?

The term bonanza means "good weather" and refers to any source of sudden great wealth. Thus, bonanza farms were the extremely large and successful farms that emerged on the Great Plains (a vast grassy region in the west-central United States) and in the West during the second half of the nineteenth century. New technology contributed to the success of farming. Cyrus McCormick (1809–1884) invented the reaper (machine for harvesting grain), and John Deere (1804–1886) developed the steel plow. In addition, the U.S. Congress (the country's law-making body) passed the Homestead Act (1862), which allowed settlers to buy land for as little as $1.25 per acre. The law also enabled settlers called homesteaders to live on a tract of land and farm it for five years; at the end of the five-year period, the homesteaders would receive 160 acres. New farming methods and the construction of railroads made...

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