Life in the West
• 3 million native Americans lived in the West before Europeans arrived
• they were diverse in language and culture
• West had natural wealth in timber, gold, silver, and other resources
• West changed the nation’s economy and politics
• Created a folklore of “rugged individuals”
The Explorers
Purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition:
• Find the “Northwest Passage”
• Make friendly contact with the native Indian groups
• Find out just what had been bought with the Louisiana Purchase
Up the Missouri River
• Expedition started in May, 1804 from St. Louis, Missouri
• Led by Lewis and Clark
• Accompanied by a Shoshone woman, Sacagawea
Lewis and Clark
To the Pacific and Back
• Progress of expedition was slowed by rapids and waterfalls
• To cross the Rocky Mts. they needed horses.
• Traded with the Shoshone
• Friendly Nez Perce in the Pacific
Northwest helped them
The Explorers’ Legacy
• Expedition returned in September 1806:
Had not found a Northwest Passage
Did map a route to the Pacific
Established good relations with the Indians
Brought back information about the West and its peoples
• Zebulon Pike explored the valley of the Arkansas River, the Spanish territory along the Rio Grande and Red River
• John C. Fremont mapped between the Mississippi river and the Pacific Ocean
Pike’s Peak
The Californios
The California Missions
• Junipero Serra started the missions in 1769
• Goal was to convert Indians to
Christianity
• Missions stretched from San Diego
to San Francisco
• Missions were deadly to Indians
• Indians treated harshly and died
from diseases
• Mexican government closed the
the missions in 1833
• Gave the land to soldiers and
settlers
San Juan Capistrano
Life on the Ranchos
• Californios produced almost everything they needed
• In 1830’s cattle ranching became California’s most important industry
• Cattle provided hides and tallow that were traded
vaquero
Californios’ Legacy
1. Place names such as San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco
2. Crops such as grapes, olives, and citrus fruits
3. Opened California to the world
The Mountain Men
• Lewis and Clark expedition stirred new interest in the fur trade
• In 1807, 42 trappers went up the Missouri River
• For 30 years trappers crisscrossed the West in search of furs
The Trapper’s Life
• Lived hard and died young
• In spring and fall, set their traps
• In summer, they met at
rendezvous to swap furs for
supplies
• Trappers were attacked by
fur thieves, Indians,
wolves, and bears
Mountain Men
Freedom and Adventure
• Trappers braved the lifestyle for freedom and adventure
• In 1830’s, fur trade was in decline
• Many trappers became explorers, army scouts, and traders
Hatchet Jack
Skin a Grizz
Mountain Men’s Legacy
1. Mountain men explored most of the West
2. Routes they pioneered became the Oregon and California Trails
3. Trading posts became supply stations for the pioneers
4. Personal journals gave readers an insight into their lives
Possibles bag
Rendezvous
MISSIONARIES• Nez Perce asked people to come and teach about the “Black Book”
• Marcus and Narcissa Whiteman went
• Henry and Eliza Spalding also went
• Crossed using the Oregon Trail
A Difficult Start
Spaldings worked with the Nez Perce.
Whitman’s worked with the Cayuse.
Henry Spalding and Chief Joseph
Nez Perce
A Pioneer’s Paradise
• Marcus Whitman convinced people that Oregon was a pioneer’s paradise
• In 1842, Whitman went East
• He brought a large group of settlers back with him on the Oregon Trail
Missionaries’ Legacy
Opened the West to settlement.
The Pioneer Women
• Most women were wives and mothers
• Some were seeking husbands, homesteads, or other opportunities
On the Trail
• Journey lasted 4 to 6 months and covered 2,000 miles
• Generally traveled 15 to 20 miles a day
• Women cooked, washed clothes, and took care of children
I Love Lucy
Trail Hazards
• Died from disease, accidents, and drowned crossing rivers
Sweet Betsy from Pike
Pioneer Women’s Legacy
• Brought out strengths and weaknesses they didn’t know they had
• Started schools, churches, libraries, literary societies, and charitable groups
• Women in western states earned the right to vote 20 years before others and this was their greatest legacy
Women’s Suffrage
The Mormons
• Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Founded in New York by Joseph Smith in 1830
• Persecuted for their religion
• When Smith was killed, Brigham Young took over leadership and moved community to Utah
Mormon’s Legacy
• First Americans to settle in Great Basin
• Pioneered farming methods for the dry regions (dams, canals, irrigation ditches)
• Salt Lake City became important stop for food and supplies
• Planted their Mormon faith in the Utah desert
The Forty-Niners
• In 1848 gold was discovered
• In 1849 thousands of gold seekers came from the East, Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia, China
• Their routes took around the tip of South America, through the jungles of Panama, across the Pacific Ocean, or overland across America
Life in the Mining Camps
• Camps were rough places with no police
• Digging for gold was hard and tedious work
Forty- Niners’ Legacy
• Indian population was reduced in size from warfare and disease
• Many Californios lost their land
• By 1850, California became first state in the West
California gold country
The Chinese
• By 1852 more than 20,000 Chinese had come to California
• At first the Chinese were welcome
• As gold mining became more difficult the attitude towards the Chinese changed
• Miners asked the American government to drive the foreigners out of the goldfields
• In 1852, the Chinese had to pay a monthly fee for a license to mine
The Chinese Stay
• Americans bullied the Chinese
• Hacked off their braids (queues)
• Burned their shacks
• Beat them
• Some Chinese immigrants left the mines and opened restaurants, laundries, and stores
• Some became farmers in California’s Central Valley
Legacy of the Chinese Immigrants
• Most came in search of gold and return to China rich, a few did
• Their hard work, energy, and skills benefited California
• Brought with them the arts, tastes, scents, and sounds of an old and rich culture
Pottery
Koi pond
New Year’s celebration
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