The Last West

The West: Settlement of the Last Frontier After Civil War, many Americans begin settling in the West Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Western Plateau These lands known as “the Great American Desert” Few trees, <15 inches of rainfall a year Open grasslands supported an estimated 15 million bison Provided food, clothing, shelter, tools for 250,000 Plains Tribes in the West

The West: Settlement of the Last Frontier Frontier largely vanished over the next 35 years Bison wiped out Open lands fenced in by ranches and homesteads Railroads New towns Progress came at a cost Extermination of the buffalo, environmental damage High human and cultural cost paid by the Native Americans

The Mining Frontier 1848: discovery of gold in the area brought first flood of newcomers California gold rush would extend well into the 1890s Also helped to settle much of the region Series of gold and silver strikes the primary reason for admitting these territories into the Union Nevada, Idaho, Montana

The Mining Frontier California’s gold rush set the pattern for other rushes Individual prospectors gave way to deep-shaft mining that required expensive capital and resources Rich strikes created boom towns over night Almost immediately became ghost towns as soon as the gold or silver ran out Some towns continued by adding other infrastructure, others expanded into prosperous cities San Francisco, Sacramento, Denver

Chinese Exclusion Act As mines expanded, owners employed experienced foreign miners One-third of western miners in 1860 were Chinese Native-born Americans resented the job competition Political pressure on Congress resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Prohibited further immigration to the U.S. by Chinese laborers Immigration from China was severely restricted until 1965- 1882 law first major act of Congress to restrict immigration on the basis of race and nationality

Legacy of the Mining Frontier Stimulated settlement of the West Increase in supply of silver created a major political issue in 1880s-90s over silver- vs. gold-backed currency Mining boom left disastrous environmental scars Native Americans lost their lands

The Cattle Frontier Earlier, cattle were rounded up on a small scale by Mexican cowboys, or vaqueros Traditions of cattle ranching were actually borrowed from Mexico Texas cattle business was easy to get into 5 million free cattle and thousands of acres of free grass Railroads opened up the markets for Texas cattle Cowboys only received $1 a day for their dangerous work

The Cattle Frontier Long cattle drives came to an end in 1880s Over grazing, winter blizzard, and drought of 1885-86 killed 90% of the cattle Arrival of homesteaders who began using barbed wire fence to cut across the previously open plains Cattle owners turned to huge ranches using scientific methods of breeding The cattle frontier changed Americans’ eating habits from pork to beef Also created the legend of the rugged, self-reliant cowboy

The Farming Frontier Homestead Act of 1862 Encouraged farming in Great Plains by offering 160 acres of free land to anyone who settled on it for 5 years Promotions of railroads and promise of free land saw about 500,000 families take advantage of the Homestead Act Best public lands often ended up in the hands of railroads or land speculators Earliest settlers built their homes out of sod bricks (“sodbusters”) Extreme weather, scare water, no wood to build houses or fences 160 acres was not enough for adequate farming Severe weather, falling crop prices, rising cost of machinery caused the failure of two-thirds of homesteaders’ farms by 1900

The Closing of the Frontier Last great land rush occurred in 1889- Oklahoma Territory (once set aside for Native Americans) was opened for settlement 1890- U.S. Census Bureau declared the entire frontier had been settled Turner’s Frontier Thesis- “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” (1893) Argued 300 years of frontier experience had shaped American culture- promoted independence and individualism; challenges of the frontier caused Americans to be inventive and practical- minded The frontier had always held out the promise of a fresh start- once it was closed, would the U.S. be doomed to follow the patterns of class division and social conflict that troubled Europe? By the 1890s, most Americans were moving to the cities and industrialized areas The era of the western frontier and dominance of rural America was coming to a close

? What were the major reasons the western frontier came to a close by 1900? What were the negative consequences of this era? What was the primary reason some western territories were admitted to the Union? What was the significance of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? Why did the cattle frontier come to an end? What was Frederick Jackson Turner worried about the most in “The Significance of the Frontier in American History?”