Moving West Then and Now Due to the homestead act, this country was hit with a wave of immigrants in search of new land and opportunity. Not only was it immigrants but African Americans escaping the cruel south. Although the idea of new opportunity and adventure sounds fun and all, it's not at all what it seems to be. Dating all the way back to the 1800s, the technology was not amazing resulting too the best form of transporting people; the wagon. Before the invention of the transcontinental railway, the wagon was the main source of transportation that or your legs. These wagons were not useful for enduring harsh weather and were not nearly as fast enough as the automobiles we have today. Some homesteaders had land disputes with others trying to make a living and also with Native Americans. Not only was the travel aspect hard for this opportunist but the mental aspect was difficult too. Keeping up with acres of land is hard enough but doing it by yourself with no company