26. The Great West and the Agricultural Revolution

The Great West After the Civil War, the West was still untamed –Indians –Bison –Wildlife –Mexicans –Mormons

Native Americans

Culture of Plains Indians Most Native Americans of the plains were nomads – moved from place to place following herds of buffalo Lived in extended family networks Religion based on the spirits of nature Ruled by a governing council –Chiefs –Medicine Men –War Leaders

The Dakota Sioux Dakota Sioux lived on a reservation in Minnesota –Annuities – yearly payments made by the U.S. government to the Indians Payments were small and often taken by traders 1862 – Congress delayed payment –Many Sioux were starving –Chief Little Crow asked the traders for a loan, but was denied The Sioux rouse up and killed hundreds of settlers

Little Crow Andrew Myrick – “let them eat grass, or their own dung.”

Fetterman’s Massacre The U.S. Army was sent to Montana to prevent further uprisings Lakota Sioux were fearful of losing their hunting grounds Fetterman’s Massacre – Led by Red Cloud, Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull the Sioux attacked and defeated an army detachment of 80 led by William Fetterman

Fetterman’s Massacre

Sand Creek Massacre Tensions between the Cheyenne and miners in Colorado were increasing –Natives attacking wagon trains & ranches Indians were ordered to peacefully surrender at Ft. Lyon Chief Black Kettle took hundreds of Cheyenne to negotiate Sand Creek Massacre – Colonel John Chivington attacked the unsuspecting Natives

Sand Creek Massacre

General Nelson Miles – said Chivington’s attack was “the foulest and most unjustifiable crime in the annals of America” Sand Creek Massacre As many as 600 Native Americans may have been killed, including women and children

Indian Peace Commission 1867 Congress formed an Indian Peace Commission –Would create two large reservations on the plains –Bureau of Indian Affairs would manage it –Army would take care of any who did not stay

Battle of Little Bighorn 1876 – Lakota left their reservation to hunt near the Bighorn Mts. in southern Montana Lt. Colonel George A. Custer, commander of the 7 th Cavalry divided his troops and attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne camped on the Little Bighorn River –Custer’s forces –Sitting Bull’s forces – 2,500 All of Custer’s troops were killed Sitting Bull fled to Canada

Chief Joseph Nez Perce refused to move to a reservation in Idaho in 1877 Led by Chief Joseph they attempted to flee to Canada Eventually caught and forced to move to Oklahoma

The Dawes Act The Dawes Act of 1877 –Natives would be assimilated - absorbed into American society as landowners and citizens –Allotments – breaking up reservations into small plots where Indian families could live Why was this act doomed to fail?

Mining Industry 1849 – California Gold Rush started off the “rushes” in the West –Gold, silver and copper discoveries Towns would sprout up over night Placer Mining – mining by hand using simple tools like picks, shovels and pans Quartz Mining – mining deep into the earth using heavy machinery –Done by big corporations

Comstock Lode In 1859, Henry Comstock found pure silver ore in Six- mile Canyon, Nevada This brought thousands of miners to Virginia City, NV –Town boomed to over 30,000 residents Had all the amenities: a “rising room”, an opera house, several, newspapers, shops, furniture and clothing stores Virginia City became a Ghost Town several years later

Booms and Busts The cycle of boom and bust was repeated throughout the West –From Boomtown to Ghost Town Boomtowns were often dangerous places –Gamblers, thieves, swindlers, prostitutes, and liquor sellers Vigilance Committees – self-appointed volunteers who policed the towns

Other Bonanzas 1859 – Pikes Peak, Colorado (gold) –“Pikes Peak or Bust” Late 1870s – Leadville, CO (silver) Railroads come to Colorado and Denver becomes the second largest city in the West Gold found in Black Hills of Dakota territory Copper found in Montana

Cattle Ranchers Open Range – a vast area of unrestricted grassland found in the Great Plains region that was open to cattle grazing –Was perfect for the Texas Longhorn A hardy descendent from Spanish cattle brought to Mexico 5 million roamed Texas after the Civil War Worth $3 to $4 a head in Texas Worth 10 times that in the East –Why?

Cattle Drives By 1860s, railroads had reached the Great Plains –Several railroad hubs included: Abilene and Dodge City in Kansas Sedalia, Missouri Cowboys began taking cattle on long drives –Several trails opened up such as the Chisholm Trail to Abilene –Maverick – cattle that had not been branded

The Cowboy Many former Confederate soldiers or ex-slaves –1 in 5 were African Americans Usually in late teens or early twenties Generally brave and tough Spent most of his time outdoors working with cattle Used pistol mostly on rattlesnakes Worked for $25 a month Ate beans, bacon, biscuits and black coffee every day

Business of Cattle Ranching Long Drives ended partly because the open range was fenced off with barbed wire Investors from the East put money into the cattle business –Caused an oversupply of animals –Cattle prices dropped Winter of killed many cattle

Farmers on the Great Plains

The Great Plains The Great Plains region covers much of the central part of the United States –Rainfall – 20 inches a year –Trees only along rivers and hilltops –Buffalo once grazed on the prairie grasses

Discovering the Plains Major Stephen Long explored the Great Plains with an army expedition in 1819 Called it the “Great American Desert” –Said it was unfit for farming

Beginnings of Settlement Railroads provided easy access to the Great Plains –Railroad companies sold land along the rail lines at low prices and provided credit The federal government helped settle the Great Plains by passing the Homestead Act in 1862 –For $10, a settler could file for a homestead, or a tract of public land available for settlement

Beginnings of Settlement The homesteader could get up to 160 acres of public land and could receive title of it after living there five years Life on the plains was very difficult Harsh environment –Summer temperatures soaring over 100°F –Winter brought blizzards and extreme cold Prairie fires and swarms of grasshoppers were a danger and a threat

Farming the Plains Inventions and new farming methods made farming on the Great Plains very profitable Dry farming method – planting seeds deep in the ground where there was enough moisture for them to grow By the 1860s, farmers on the Great Plains were using newly designed steel plows, seed drills, reapers, and threshing machines

Farming the Plains Farmers who plowed the soil on the Great Plains were called sodbusters Many of them lost their homesteads because of drought, wind erosion, and overuse of the land

The Wheat Belt The innovations were also well suited for harvesting wheat –Wheat withstood drought better than other crops The Wheat Belt began at the eastern edge of the Great Plains and included much of the Dakotas and the western parts of Nebraska and Kansas

Hard Times In the 1890s, a glut of wheat caused prices to drop Some farmers lost their land because they could not repay bank loans A prolonged drought that began in the 1880s forced many farmers to return to the East