Chapter 18: Americans Move West
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Transcript of Chapter 18: Americans Move West
A Growing AmericaUnit 6
America Moves WestChapter 18
Miners, Ranchers, and Railroads
The Big Idea
As more settlers moved West, mining, ranching, and railroads soon transformed the western landscape
Key Terms
frontier
Comstock Lode
Boomtowns
Cattle Kingdom
Cattle drive
Chisholm Trail
Pony Express
Transcontinental railroad
Section 1
Mining Boom Brings Growth
After the war, population
increases and moves west
California added in 1850
Frontier spreads to the
Pacific Ocean
The western landscape
changes
Settlement
Technology
Natural Resources
Mining: Big Business
Comstock Lode
1859, Henry Comstock
discovers gold and silver in
Nevada
Caused thousands of
Californians to move to
Nevada
Big Business
Equipment is expensive, so
large companies buy land
and run the mining business
Mining: Danger! Mines become bigger and deeper
Work is dangerous!
Unsafe equipment
Elevator platforms w/o walls
Environment
Dark tunnels
Hot and stuffy air
Explosions & cave-ins
Fires
Health
Lung disease
Injury & death
Mining: Settlers
Came from all over the
world
Eastern U.S.
Europe
Central & South America
Asia
Many Mexican immigrants
were experienced miners
Mining: New Towns
Boomtowns
Communities that grew
suddenly (“BOOM”ed)
when a mine opened
General store
Saloon
Boardinghouse
Few women or families
Women that did move
there helped to make
them into permanent
towns
The Cattle Kingdom
Growing economy +
population = give us the
beef!
Texas $3-6
Kansas $38
New York $80
Most popular breed was the
longhorn
Needed little water
Survive harsh weather
How do you move them from
Texas to the east coast?
The Cattle Kingdom
1867 – Joseph McCoy
builds a cattle pen
Abiliene, Kansas
Kansas Pacific
Railroad line
Ranching expanded
to the Midwest
Cattle Kingdom –Great Plains from Texas
to Canada in the late
1800s
The Cattle Kingdom –
Importance of Cowboys
Cowhands/cowboys –
Workers who took care of the ranchers’ cattle
Borrowed techniques from vaqueros
Western saddle and lasso
Cattle Drive
Important and dangerous duty
Long journey to herd cattle to market or grazing
The Cattle Kingdom –
Importance of Cowboys
Chisholm Trail
San Antonio, TX to
Abilene, KS is one of the
first and most popular
routes
Cowboy Life
Can be rowdy, rough,
and violent
Disorderly behavior
The Cattle Kingdom –
End of the Open Range
Competition lead to a
battle for “open range”
1874: barbed wire allows for
the cheap fencing off of
land
1885-1886: DISASTER!
Cattle overfeed
Severe winters
Thousands of cattle die
and many ranchers are
ruined
Transportation
Moving west = greater
need for transportation
1860: The Pony Express
Messengers on horseback
relay over 2,000 miles
Telegraph lines replace
the pony express
The Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental railroad
Railroad that would cross
the continent
Pacific Railway Acts
1862, 1864
Railroads receive loans
and land grants
Government money in
exchange for U.S. mail
and troop transport
The Transcontinental Railroad:
The Race
Central Pacific vs. Union
Pacific
Central builds east from
Sacramento, CA
85% Chinese immigrants
Paid less, more
dangerous work
Pacific builds west from
Omaha, NE
Irish immigrants
The Transcontinental Railroad:
The Challenges
Geographic Challenges
Mountain ranges
Snowdrifts
Company Pressure
Expected to lay 250 miles
of track in six months
Employee Relations
Providing food and
supplies for workers
Shot 1,000s of buffalo to
feed workers
The Transcontinental Railroad:
The Golden Spike
Promontory, Utah
Congress requires the two
rail lines to meet
May 10, 1869, a golden
spike is used to join the
tracks
The Transcontinental Railroad:
The Results
Increased economic
growth and migration to
the West
Transportation for people
and goods
Created a more inter-
dependent U.S. economy
Four time zones are
established in 1883
Railroads are one of the
biggest industries in the U.S.
Wars for the WestSection 2
IF you were there…
In your notes, answer the following journal prompt…
You are a member of the Sioux nation, living in Dakota
Territory in 1875. These lands are sacred to your people,
and the U.S. government has promised them to you. But
now gold has been found here, and the government has
ordered you to give up you land. Some Sioux leaders
want to fight. Others say that it is of no use, that the
soldiers will win.
Would you fight to keep your lands? Why?
Settlers Encounter the Plains Indians
Gov. is pressured to “open” western lands in the mid-1800s
U.S. officials are sent to negotiate treaties with the Plains Indians
Apache, Comanche TX, OK
Cheyenne, Arapahocentral Plains
Sioux northern Plains
All spoke different languages, but used sign language
Settlers Encounter the Plains Indians
Hunting Buffalo
Depended on horse and
buffalo
Most hunted on
horseback with short bow
and arrow
Used buffalo for…
Food
Shelter
Clothing
Utensils
Tools
1850: 75,000 N.A. on Plains
Settlers Encounter the Plains Indians
Struggle to Keep Land
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)
1st major treaty with Plains
Indians
Treaty at Fort Atkinson, NE
Recognized Indian claims to
most of the Great Plains
Allowed the U.S. to build
forts and roads across their
homelands
U.S. promises to pay for any
damage to Indian lands
Settlers Encounter the Plains Indians
Struggle to Keep Land
Treaties don’t keep the
peace for long
1861: new treaties create
reservations
An area of federal land
set aside for N.A.s
Expected to stay on
reservations
Settlers cross Sioux hunting
grounds, U.S. gov. builds
forts to protect settlers
Sioux bring war
Settlers Encounter the Plains Indians
Struggle to Keep Land
Crazy Horse
Sioux leader
Ambushed and killed 81 cavalry troops (1866)
Second Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
Agree to close the trail and grant reservation lands
1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge
Most southern Plains Indians agree to live on reservations
Crazy Horse Memorial – Crazy Horse, SD