Great Plains
Vast central grasslands
The Great Plains are a vast expanse of flat to gently rolling grassland stretching through the central United States and Canada, from Texas north to Alberta.
The region is characterized by semi-arid climate, sparse trees, and agricultural use—primarily cattle ranching and wheat farming.
Dust Bowl conditions devastated the Great Plains in the 1930s.
Cereal crop for flour
- cornCereal grown on cobs
- soybeansProtein-rich Asian legume
- sorghumWarm-climate cereal grass
- cattle ranchingRaising bovines commercially
feedlots · grain elevator · silos · combine · irrigation · dryland farming · crop rotation · winter wheat
Open grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- plateauFlat highland area
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
butte · basin · escarpment · flatland · shortgrass · tallgrass · panhandle · Continental Divide
Land-claiming rural settlers
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- wagon trainsGrouped pioneer vehicles westward
- sod housesTurf-walled prairie shelters
- land rushMass race for territory
Homestead Act · settlers · frontier · Oregon Trail · railroads · cattle drives · cowboys · Dodge City
Extremely great in size
- endlessWithout termination or boundary
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
- open skyUnobstructed atmosphere above
- windsweptExposed to strong winds
treeless · flat · sweeping · isolation · sparse · remote · wide open · emptiness
Large North American bovine
- herdGrazing animals together
- grazingFeeding on pasture
- roamTravel without fixed purpose
- stampedeFrenzied mass flight
wallow · shaggy · conservation · reintroduction · Yellowstone · pemmican · buffalo jump
Western Sioux people
- CheyennePlains tribe or state capital
- ComancheSouthern Plains indigenous nation
- BlackfootPlains Algonquian nation
- PawneePlains-dwelling indigenous nation
Arapaho · Kiowa · tipi · nomadic · horse culture · sun dance · buffalo hunting · winter counts
wheat
Cereal crop for flour
cattle ranching · feedlots · grain elevator · silos · combine · irrigation · dryland farming · crop rotation · winter wheat · sunflowers
prairie
Open grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- plateauFlat highland area
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
mesa · butte · basin · escarpment · flatland · shortgrass · tallgrass · panhandle · Continental Divide · Missouri River
homesteaders
Land-claiming rural settlers
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- wagon trainsGrouped pioneer vehicles westward
- sod housesTurf-walled prairie shelters
land rush · Homestead Act · settlers · frontier · Oregon Trail · railroads · cattle drives · cowboys · Dodge City · ranchers
vast
Extremely great in size
- endlessWithout termination or boundary
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
- open skyUnobstructed atmosphere above
windswept · treeless · flat · sweeping · isolation · sparse · remote · wide open · emptiness · solitude
buffalo
Large North American bovine
stampede · wallow · shaggy · conservation · reintroduction · Yellowstone · pemmican · buffalo jump
Lakota
Western Sioux people
- CheyennePlains tribe or state capital
- ComancheSouthern Plains indigenous nation
- BlackfootPlains Algonquian nation
Pawnee · Arapaho · Kiowa · tipi · nomadic · horse culture · sun dance · buffalo hunting · winter counts · treaty lands
- American frontierfrontier, westward expansion, pioneers, homesteading, homesteads
- American RegionsMidwest, Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Pacific Northwest
- US LandformsAppalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Colorado Plateau, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada
- frontier historypioneers, settlers, homesteaders, frontier tales, westward expansion
- South DakotaMount Rushmore, Badlands, Black Hills, Sioux Falls, Pierre
- Western LandformsColorado Plateau, Columbia Plateau, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, Monument Valley
Great PlainsRocky Mountains
Western North American cordillera
Appalachian Mountains · Alps · Himalayas · mountain ranges · highlands
Great PlainsAmazon rainforest
Largest tropical forest ecosystem
temperate rainforest · jungle · forested regions · dense forest · forest
Great PlainsPacific Coast
Continental western maritime edge
Gulf Coast · Eastern Seaboard · coastal regions · tidewater · seashore
plain, great, explain, complain, greatest, complaint, greater, explanation, plainly