History 7

 Mining is Big Business  By the mid-1850s, the California gold rush had ended. Miners began prospecting in other parts of the west.  In 1858, one mining expedition found gold on the slopes of Pikes Peak (the Colorado Rockies).  Reports were saying miners were making $20 a day panning for gold.  50,000 prospectors flocked to Pikes Peak with the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust!”  Most gold was found in lodes, a mass or strip of ore sandwiched between layers of rock.  Mining this gold ore was difficult and required expensive machinery; thus, individual miners had less of a chance of getting rich than companies.

 Mining is Big Business (continued)  Mining attracted many investors (foreign and domestic)  The Comstock Lode (1859) Prospectors found a rich lode of silver-bearing ore on the banks of Carson River in Nevada. It was named after one of the owners of the claim, Henry Comstock. It yeilded hundreds of millions of dollars throughout its time. Henry sold his share of the claim for $11,000 and two mules (which was significant at the time).

 The Mining Frontier  Gold strikes created boomtowns – towns that grew up almost overnight around mining sites.  The Comstock boomtown was Virginia City, Nevada.  Two years after the strike, what started as a simple mining camp, had a stock exchange, hotels, banks, an opera company, and five newspapers.  Boomtowns were lively (often lawless). Money was lost often through extravagant living and gambling.

 Miners who earned $2,000/yr made about 4 times that of a teacher.  The price of goods and services were high and drained the miners’ earnings.  Violence was prevalent as many carried large sums of money and guns. Cheating and stealing were common. There were very few police or prisons.  Boomtowns gave rise to vigilantes, people who took the law into their own hands (often hanging accused people)

 Women in boomtowns  Men outnumbered women two to one in Virginia City.  Some women opened businesses, others were laundresses, cooks, or dance-hall entertainers.  Women generally provided stability in town. They opened schools and churches. They worked hard to make towns more safe and orderly.  Boom and Bust  Many mining “booms” were followed by “busts.” Once the mines stopped yielding ore, people left the towns. In 1870, at its peak, Virginia City had about 30,000 inhabitants. By 1900 its population dropped below 4,000. Many boomtowns turned into ghost towns, deserted towns.

 Mining was not limited to gold and silver  Cooper became the key metal in Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona (1870).  Lead and Zinc were mined in Colorado (former silver-mining towns).  Mining became a big part of American industry.  New States enter the Union  Colorado became a state in  North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Montana became states in  Wyoming and Idaho joined the Union in 1890.

 Railroads Connect East and West  Industrial centers were located in the East and Midwest.  Mining operations were far from these in the west.  Wagon trains and stagecoach lines could not move people and goods fast enough to meet demands.  Railroads could and did!  Between 1865 and 1890, miles of railroad track soared from 35,000 to 150,000.

 Government and the Railroads  Railroad construction was often supported by large government subsidies-financial aid and land grants from the government.  Railroad executives fought to receive free public land to lay tracks because of the benefit to the entire nation.  The federal government granted 130 million acres of land to railroad companies (much of that land from Native Americans).

 Spanning the Continent  In the 1850s, a search for a route to span the continent and connect the Atlantic and Pacific coast began – this was called the transcontinental rail line.  During the Civil War, the Union government offered land grants to the railroad companies willing to build the transcontinental line with a northerly route. This line would be more than 1,700 miles.  Two companies accepted the challenge – The Union Pacific Company began laying track westward from Omaha, Nebraska while the Central Pacific Company worked eastward from Sacramento, California.  They competed to cover greater distances and receive more subsidies. Union Pacific laid 1,038 miles of track and Central Pacific laid 742 miles.

 On May 10, 1869, construction was completed on the Transcontinental Railway.  The two sets of track met at Promontory Point in Utah Territory.  Companies flourished: steel industry, coal producers, construction, and railroad car manufacturers  The demand for train schedules led to the creation of four time zones.  Effects of the Railroads on Western Settlement  Brought workers to the west  Transported goods to and from the east  Need for tracks and supplies gave boost to new industries  Encouraged the growth of towns along the railroad  Attracted settlers to the area