Chapter 13 section 1
description
Transcript of Chapter 13 section 1
![Page 1: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
CHAPTER 13 SECTION 1
Settling the West
![Page 2: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
The Great American Desert
• Named such by explorer Stephen Long
• The word “desert” did not have its modern meaning− Because rainfall was so
sparse, explorers believed the region would be useless for farming
− No trees, no rivers− Area dominated by
Native Americans− Perception only begins
to change after the Civil War
![Page 3: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Size
• 501,933 square miles
• Area approximately twice the size of France
• Ten distinct geographical sections
• Millions of years ago was part of a shallow inland sea
![Page 4: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Climate• Mostly humid
continental− Hot summers− Cold winters− Precipitation varies− Averages only 20
inches per year• Also humid subtropical
− Hot, humid summers− Mild winters
• Steppe− Enough water for
grass, not enough for trees
![Page 5: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Blizzards• Could start nearly
instantly• Farmers or cowboys far
from shelter could get lost very quickly
• Winter of 1887 – “Great Die Up”
• Massive herds of cattle froze/starved to death
• When Spring thaws came, hard to find water fit to drink
![Page 6: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Soil
• loess – highly fertile, highly erodable soil often carried by the wind
• Modern example: China’s loess plateau− Since ancient times,
performed a similar function to our Great Plains
![Page 7: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Water• Only 20 inches of rainfall per year• BUT, pioneers settled the Great Plains during a time of
unusually heavy rainfall• Ogalalla Aquifer
− Makes large scale agriculture possible in the plains
![Page 8: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Cattle• Brought to the Americas by the Spanish• Longhorns were adapted to the heat, arid climate• As demand for beef grew, cattle ranchers could make a small
fortune• Cattle in the east had been slaughtered during the Civil War• Federal government allowed open range grazing• Branding of cattle
![Page 9: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
The Chisholm Trail• Named for Jesse Chisholm• Crucial route through Native American
country in Oklahoma• Goal was to get the cattle to railway
stations to ship east• Could sell for a much higher price than
in Texas. • Many cowboys were former Confederate• soldiers, African-Americans and some
Hispanics• Age of the great cattle drives ended with
the invention and of barbed wire for fencing
![Page 10: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Mining
• Western deposits of gold, silver, and copper
• Two types: placer mining and quartz mining
• Raises the question – who is responsible for safety?• Miners?• Mine owners?
• Workers breathe in dust constantly, oftentimes gas fumes
• Temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees in the mines
![Page 11: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Comstock Lode
Henry Comstock staked a claim for a silver mine in Six-Mile canyon, Nevand
Created Virginia City, Nevada almost overnight
Boomtown to ghost town Crime was a problem;
vigilance committees formed
Encourages settlement of the West and expansion of the railroads
![Page 12: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The Indian Wars• In 1860 Native Americans still control vast areas of
the central U.S.− Settlers didn’t want them yet
![Page 13: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Manifest Destiny• Idea that Americans had a divinely-ordained mission
to populate and civilize North America from sea to sea
• Always controversial, and never agreed upon by everyone
![Page 14: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
The Oregon Trail• Major source of movement to the west coast• Declines after the first transcontinental railroad is
finished
![Page 15: Chapter 13 section 1](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062520/568163cc550346895dd50d8a/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
First Transcontinental Railroad
• 1,776 miles• Completed May 10, 1876 at Promontory Point, Utah• Connected eastern and western railroad networks