Chapter 19 Section 2: Miners and Railroads Mr. Davis

Background Many Americans were lured West by the chance to strike it rich mining gold and silver. Many Americans started moving East to West to find new ways to earn a fortune.

The Mining Boom The Western mining boom started with the Gold Rush in California in 1849 One the Gold Rush ended, the miners had to seek a new fortune. In 1859, two young prospectors struck gold in Sierra Nevada and then Henry Comstock showed up claiming that the land was his.

He demanded to become a partner Because of his bragging it became known as the Comstock Lode Comstock means a rich vein of gold or silver

Comstock and his partners began to complain about the tools they were using because the gold was stuck to heavy blue sand Mexican miners took the blue sand to an expert and discovered something amazing They discovered that the blue gold was actually SILVER! Comstock found one of the richest mines in the world!

Thousands of prospectors moved across the country including South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. In the late 1890’s, thousands rushed to Alaska after a major gold strike

Boomtowns and Ghost Towns Gold and silver strikes attracted thousands of prospectors from the U.S., Germany, Ireland, Mexico, and China At first miners began to build tent cities then thousands came to supply the miners. Traders brought mules loaded with tools, foods, and clothing Merchants brought more supplies to start up stores

Slowly but surely wood framed houses, hotels, and restaurants sprung up where the old tent cities had been. It took less than one year to create Virginia City

When the gold and silver mining was over so was the boom town Most of the settlers were men, however, some women as well profited from boarding houses and Laundromats When the gold and silver mining was over so was the boom town Businesses closed and the city was deserted making it a ghost town

Major Impact Even though the boom had many advantages it also had its disadvantages Polluted mountain streams Native Americans were moved, again Many miners did not get wealthy quick It was often the large companies that had better equipment

Governing the Frontier: Lawlessness and disorder was very apparent in these towns as well. Vigilantes were often appointed as self-appointed law enforcements They tracked down outlaws and punished them Most likely by lynching’s

Later on, Colorado, the Dakota’s, Nevada and others were organized into territories Permanent settlements began to be developed in these new territories

The Railroads: In order to get supplies miners began to need supplies in large amounts-railroads began to be the major suppliers. The U.S. Government decided to help the railroad company because the Western Expansion could help everyone (including the nation)

Congress began to lend money to the railroads companies and giving them land (also known as a subsidy) It was often ignored that Native Americans lived on these lands

The Transcontinental Railroad would connect the nation Union Pacific went from Omaha, Westward The Central Railroad started in Sacramento and stretched East

Immigrant Workers While building the railroad, the companies began having issues hiring people The companies began to hire immigrant workers who wouldn’t complain of low wages Central Railroad= Chinese Union= Ireland All railroad companies hired Mexicans and African Americans

Both railroads faced tough tasks: The Union Pacific had to cut through the Rockies while the Central had to go through the Sierra Nevada’s Sometimes crews only moved a couple of inches in a day

Because the railroads began to connect everywhere, certain territories began asking for statehood: Nevada 1864 Colorado 1876 South Dakota, Montana and Washington 1889

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