US History: Chapter 7 Notes Into the West: US History: Chapter 7 Notes

Plains Indians: Plains Tribes: Nomadic – Hunter/Gatherers Omaha, Osage, Sioux, Comanche, Blackfeet Nomadic – Hunter/Gatherers Followed the Food Source – Buffalo Introduction of the Horse: Spain – 1500’s Changes Native’s way of life

Railroads: 1st Transcontinental Railroad: Union Pacific – Build west from Omaha Central Pacific – Build east from Sacramento Granted large loans from the US $16,000 - $48,000 per mile Granted land: 640 acres per mile

Transcontinental Railroad: May 10th,1869 – Promontory Point, Utah East and West lines meet Drive the “Golden Spike” Connects the Continental US

Other Railroads: Great Northern Railway James Hill Connect Minnesota with Washington State Southern Pacific – Connect the South Western states Encourage settlement was rail lines are built

Railroads and the Buffalo: Railroads develop a program to kill off the buffalo Danger to trains Get rid of local Native American tribes Encourage white settlement Buffalo Bill Cody – Hired by the railroads to kill Buffalo 1886 – Hundred buffalo left in Canada

Plains Wars: Conflict: White settlers and investors want land inhabited by Native American tribes Native American Tribes fight back Government militia massacre tribes Government Plan: Department of the Interior – Give gifts, and set up reservations Department of War – Fight all that resist

Black Hills Gold: Gold discovered in the Black Hills Sacred territory for Sioux Battle of Little Big Horn: General Custer and the 1st Cavalry Surrounded by Chief Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse – All are killed Battle of Wounded Knee: 1890 – US Army attacks and kills last Souix tribe not on the reservation (190 people)

Nez Perce: Chief Joseph Leads his people on 1500 mile march to Canada Try to keep from being captured and forced onto a reservation Army captures Chief Joseph within sight of Canada

Dawes Act: 1887 - Broke up remaining Native American tribes Gave Native Americans 160 acres of land to farm 25 year probation period – become a US citizen Native Americans did not understand farming and lost most of this land Children sent to Indian Schools

Ranching: Open Range Cattle Ranching: Cattle Drives – Bring in Cattle for market Long Drive – From Texas to Missouri or Kansas (Rail lines) Cowboys: Misconceptions

Decline of Ranching: Drought, Floods, Blizzards Texas Fever – Kill Herds Overgrazing Competition for land with settlers Barbwire – Joseph Glidden Fence in Cattle

Mining: 1849 – California Gold Strike Rush of settlers to Mining Towns 1859 – Colorado Gold and Silver Strikes Pikes Peak area 1870 - Black Hills Gold 1877 - Comstock Load – Nevada Silver

Mining Communities: Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds Built towns and states “overnight” Mining companies take over many small claims Did not value human life – Exploited Needy Need for “law and order” Vigilance Committees – Self appointed volunteers

The “Wild West” Created for the imagination of Americans in the East Vaudeville – Live variety shows (traveling) Annie Oakley, Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show Dime Store novels Westerns – Movies, Novels, Television Did not show the true stories of the West

Farming in the West Technology: Overcome the dry environment Lack of trees Iron encased wells Joseph Glidden – Barb wire The reaper, binder, and thresher – Mechanical farming

Farming and Railroads: Railroads controlled a lot of land Settlers buy land from railroads Tried to persuade settlers to farm and use the railroads Wheat and Dairy shipped east on the Railroads

Life on the Plains: Sod Houses – Houses made of dirt Weather – Extreme Temps (cold and hot) Drought – Lack of rain

Economics: Specialization – Focus on one crop (no longer self sufficient) Prices of necessities unpredictable Dependency of the Railroad Required large amount of investments Need to borrow money – Depend on the banks Drop in value of Commodities – Goods

Women on the Plains: Solitude and drudgery Cimarron – Edna Ferber My Antonia – Willa Cather Novels about life how difficult life was on the Plains

End of the Frontier: 1890 – Federal Census showed no “clear Frontier line” Fredrick Jackson Turner – Frontier Historian - 1893 Frontier Thesis - spirit and success of the United States is directly tied to the country's westward expansion Frontier expansion was over!