Westward Expansion 5-2.2 How do technologies (such as railroads, the steel plow, and barbed wire), federal policies (such as subsides for the railroads and the Homestead Act), and access to natural resources affected the development of the West?

The Breadbasket of the Country! The environment of the West changed especially the Great Plains because of the men and women who settled into the region. Land was plowed. Land was irrigated.

Trouble for the bison and Native Americans!!!! Railroads crossing the plains affected the herds of bison. Iron rails of the railroad got trampled by the herds. So, railroad owners hired riflemen to shoot the offending beasts. Soon the herds were decimated and the was of life for the Native Americans who depended on the bison was significantly impacted.

Trouble for the bison and Native Americans!!!!

Trouble for the bison and Native Americans!!!!

Bison Herds of bison lived and wandered freely on the Great Plains. Native Americans who lived on the Great Plains depended on the bison; kind of like a supermarket! http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/frameset_reset.html?ht tp://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/stories/0301_0109.html

Get out of the way Native Americans!!! More and more migrants settled West and infringed on the Native American land.

Get out of the way Native Americans!!! Those who resisted (fought against) the migrants, were forced into reservations. Americans tried to make Native Americans into farmers. The reservations were divided into parcels for individual Native American families.

Strong Native Americans Native Americans did not want to give up their traditional ways of life. Reservation land was not was well suited for farming and they were not taught how to farm properly.

Impact of Transcontinental Railroad on the West Provided a means of travel; other than wagon, boat or foot. Attracted new immigrant settlers; people from other countries like Italy, Ireland, Asia, and Japan. Asian and Japanese Immigrants Irish Immigrants

Impact of Transcontinental Railroad on the West

Impact of Transcontinental Railroad on the West Transported agricultural products grown in the West to markets in the North, East, and South; brought cash crops like corn and wheat, to the other states.

The Railroad paved a way into the west Settlers were able to travel by rail because of its inexpensiveness. However, poor farmers and immigrants couldn’t afford to travel by rail and continued to travel by covered wagon. Transcontinental Railroad Pictures and Exhibits - History - Photography - Old West

The government supported the railroad The government supported the building of the transcontinental railroad, they allowed the railroad companies to own 1,000s’s of acres along their routes. So, in order to fund the laying of the track, the railroad sold much of this land to settlers, including immigrants. The railroad even advertised their land for purchase in Europe which attracted immigrants. New towns were developing along the routes. Homesteading - Boosterism and Immigrants Video

Cash Crops Settlers who bought land in the West hoped to make a profit (money) from farming. The railroad fostered economic growth for the settlers by providing a mode of transportation for their cash crops to markets throughout the country.

Westward Expansion Farmers

Westward Expansion Farmers

Cash Crops Crash crops, such as corn and wheat, became profitable as did the raising of cattle and hogs. The railroad transported these crops to processing centers and helped major industries such as flour milling and meat processing develop in cities like Chicago.

Ranchers

Negative Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad Railroad tracks changed the West's’ physical environment; tracks were laid through mountains and over hills.

Negative Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad Coal fueled the engines of the locomotives, thus mining increased which also altered the environment.

Negative Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad Because railroads brought goods to market, they fostered the development of industry which in turn altered the environment.

Negative Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad Smoke from the factories and wastes from the processing plants polluted the air and water.