What hardships did homesteaders face?

Homesteaders faced
many hardships.  They settled land that was largely uninhabited.  They did not have the luxury
or convenience of shops, roads, and other things associated with towns and cities.  They often
lacked neighbors.  Schools and churches could be many miles way, if they existed at
all.

When homesteaders settled on a piece of land, they had to clear it
themselves.  They had to do this so that they could plant crops and build a house.  Clearing
land with limited tools and manpower was incredibly difficult.  They had to plant crops, build a
house, and construct a barn.

Supplies were hard to come by.  Towns were few
and far between in the west.  Settlers sometimes had to drive many miles in a wagon to get
supplies and then haul them home.  If there was a school, children had to walk far in sometimes
adverse weather conditions to get there.

Homesteaders were largely dependent
on the land.  If they had a bad crop year, they could make little money.  They also could
starve, because they also consumed some of their crops.

Many diseases could
not be treated or cured in the 1800s.  Many times there was no doctor around.  Women could die
in childbirth with no doctor or midwife to attend them.  People often died young from
disease.

 Sometimes there were conflicts between the U.S. government and
Native American tribes, and settlers could unintentionally get in the middle of the disputes.
 Severe weather, such as heavy snows, made life difficult.  Homesteaders could get snowed in to
their houses or even lost out in a blizzard.

Isolation often caused
loneliness.  Some homesteaders did not have any neighbors for miles.  Churches provided
opportunities for socialization, but some homesteaders lived more than ten miles away from the
nearest town.