The growing west Following the Civil War, more settlers moved West - between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. With new technologies and mineral discoveries, new lands in the West opened for settlement Blacks too joined to get land out west Called “Exodusters” Many whites tried to stop them

Mining California Gold Rush (1849) Comstock Lode (1859) Miners called 49ers Comstock Lode (1859) The first major silver ore deposit discovered in Nevada Miner’s Union: miner workers formed unions to lobby for better wages, hours, and working conditions

Boom towns/ghost towns Virginia City – mining town near Comstock Lode that became a boom-town with opera houses, six-story hotel, and the West’s first “rising room” (elevator) By 1898, the silver mines empty leaving it a ghost town Cycle of boom and bust repeated through towns in the west Colorado (1858) – gold was discovered in Denver Small town quickly turned into thriving city as thousands of prospectors came to get rich

Cattle Ranching Open Range –unfenced land where cattle roam free for hundreds of miles under the guidance of cowboys Cowboys – led cattle in the open range and protected them from thieves, animals, and stampedes Mexicans and African-Americans made up 40% of cowboys Hard work, little pay, long hours

Methods that help cattle ranching Cattle Drives – the rounding up and travel of thousands of cattle to a destination hundreds of miles away Refrigerated Railroad Cars –shipped cattle from the Midwest to eastern markets Barbed Wire – new form of cheap fencing that cut off and divided land in the Open Range Prevented animals from destroying crops and/or wandering off Ended the open range and the cowboy way of life

Acts Homestead Act of 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 Gave 160 acres of land to settlers that paid a registration fee, lived on and farmed the land for 5 years to receive ownership Mostly in the Great Plains Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 Gave states federal land to establish colleges whose focus was on agriculture and engineering (farming and mining) NC State, Clemson, Auburn, Penn State

The great plains No wood, few trees, little rain, extremely hard soil and low crop yield Solutions Sod Homes - made of mud Steel Plow - dig through tough soil Barbed Wire Fence - kept predators and animals out By the late 1880s, the Wheat Belt (Great Plains) produced more wheat than anywhere in the world.

Transcontinental railroad (1869) The first railroad to run through the country that Connected the Omaha, NE to San Francisco, CA Construction of the railroad was carried out by Irish and Chinese Immigrants Irish – led construction west from the Missouri River Chinese – led construction east from California

Western migration Push Factors Force people to leave an area Civil War, Immigration, Land Shortage, Religion Pull Factors  Attract a person to an area Cheap Land, Railroad Jobs, Own Property