Question

Which of the following was not a consideration when settlers established new communities in the 1850s

location of rail lines
proximity to natural resources
location of harbors or river access points
ability to make a living from the land

Answer 1

The correct answer is “location of rail lines”

The Transcontinental railroads did not come into the Pacific Northwest until the 1880s. Around that time, the Homestead Act was signed into law in 1862 and opened up settlement in the western US allowing Americans to claim up to 160 acres of federal land.