5. What created a high demand for sheep meat (mutton) in the late 1800s?
A) Gold rush in California
B) Railroad construction
C) Homestead Act
D) Crop failures
B) Railroad construction
The construction of railroads in the late 1800s created a high demand for sheep meat (mutton) because workers needed a cheap and easily accessible source of protein to sustain them during their laborious work. Sheep were an ideal source of meat because they could graze on grass alongside the railroad tracks and required minimal care.