Chapter 2 Settling the west (1865-1890)

Objectives Lessons 1 & 2: Mining and Ranching & Farming the Plains 1) Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of key challenges faced when settling the West.

Settling the West Manifest Destiny – 19th century doctrine that westward expansion of the U.S. was not only inevitable but a God given right Manifest Destiny encouraged westward expansion Manifest Destiny justified the mistreatment of Native Americans because they were considered uncivilized. It was the right and “duty” of Americans to civilize & Christianize the Native Americans.

“American Progress” – John Gast

“American Progress” Analyze the “American Progress” painting by John Gast and briefly respond to the these questions in your notes: 1) Describe what is happening in the picture? 2) What does the woman represent? 3) What does the artist want you to think, know, and feel? 4) What is the artist’s opinion about westward expansion?

Lessons 1 & 2– Transforming the West Western Settlement FARMING RANCHING MINING RAILROADS Lessons 1 & 2– Transforming the West Manifest Destiny realized

RAILROADS Railroads open the West Private Companies Built Transcontinental Railroad built connecting East & West – authorized by Congress during the Civil War Private Companies Built Central Pacific – Mostly Chinese immigrants Union Pacific – Mostly Irish immigrants Supported By Government Land Grants for every mile of track laid in a state, RR companies received 10 square miles For every mile of track laid in a territory, RR companies received 20 square miles 170 million acres (1/2 billion $ worth of land) Loans & Subsidies Transcontinental RR finished 1869 at PROMONTORY POINT, UTAH Settlement of Western Territories follows Ten territories become states (1864 – 1896) RAILROADS While MANIFEST DESTINY encouraged Western settlement, RAILROADS allowed for people to move WEST *It took 250 years to settle first 400 million acres **It took 30 years to settle next 400 million acres (1870-1900)

Transcontinental Railroad

Promontory Point, UTAH (May 10, 1869)

Discovery of Gold or Silver Major discoveries in Nevada (Comstock Lode), Colorado (Pikes Peak), Black Hills (Dakotas) People move to area Miners want to strike it rich – “Prospectors” Boomtowns created Communities developed around mining – Leadville, CO; Helena, MT; Denver, CO Saloon keepers, boarding houses, casinos, hotels Justice and order needed to limit violence & lawlessness Marshalls & Sheriffs Vigilantes – Self-appointed enforcer of the law Vigilance Committees - group of citizens organized to find criminals and bring justice. Mining Towns Boomtowns to ghost towns Mining helped to: 1)Finance the Civil War 2)Facilitate building of RR 3) Intensified bitter conflict between white settlers & Native Am.

Mining and Western settlement Mining Leads to Statehood Nevada – Comstock Lode in 1864 led prospectors to flood the area “Pikes Peak or Bust” – Gold and Silver in Colorado; Denver becomes 2nd largest western city North and South Dakota– Black Hills gold rush Montana – Copper Mining/Ranching Big Business Took over Once loose surface gold was gone, big machinery was needed to mine & extract minerals Hydraulic Mining – method of mining by which water was sprayed at a very high pressure to expose large deposits of minerals beneath the surface Corporations came to dominate mining & advanced techniques along the way (quartz mining) Mining and Western settlement

Mining

Boom Towns Creede, Colorado (Silver Mining) Now

Mining Regions

“Ghost Towns” (Calico, CA)

Railroads allowed ranchers to make profit off cattle Cattle business on the Great Plains expanded after the Civil War due to the demand for beef in growing cities Railroads allowed ranchers to make profit off cattle Started to round up the longhorn cattle and ship them east to market COWBOYS – drove herds of cattle across the open range Language, skills , and identity influenced by Mexican vaqueros Real-life of cowboy differed greatly from romanticized myths of the “old west” 35,000 worked b/w 1864 & 1884 (drove over 5,000,000 head of cattle during this time) Cattle drives lasted about 3 months – dangerous overland transport of cattle herds Legends of the West: “Wild Bill” & “Calamity Jane” Cattle Ranching Open Range System – cattle grazed on un-fenced property END OF THE OPEN RANGE 1)Overgrazing 2)Barbed Wire 3) Bad weather – harsh winters and dry summers

Barbed Wire Ends the Open Range

Settling the Hispanic Southwest With the U.S. victory over Mexico in the Mexican-American War in 1848, the U.S. acquired the vast region of the American Southwest. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – granted the region’s residents property rights and citizenship As Americans moved to the West, cultures clashed. Hispanic Americans struggled to hold on to economic, political, and cultural dominance Increasingly, the original Hispanic population found its status diminished and often relegated to lower paying and less desirable jobs Settling the Hispanic Southwest

US Land Acquisition

Mexican Land Given to the USA TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO – 1848