1. Section 3:
Life in the West

2. Terms & Names homestead: Mexicano: William “Buffalo Bill” Cody:
“buffalo soldiers”:

3. 1. Women in the West
Pioneer life was harsh for women - stayed on the homestead
Women who held jobs –teachers, servants, laundry, sewing, or ran dance halls and boarding houses
Some women were sheriffs, gamblers, and outlaws
Women in West had more right than the East
Could own property, control their own money, and vote
Ester Morris led the fight to give women the right to vote in Wyoming (1st state)
Wyoming gained statehood in 1890
Abigail Duniway started a newspaper in Oregon to call for the right for women to vote
1900 – Women could vote in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho

4. 2. The Rise of Western Cities
Cities like Denver and San Francisco saw large jumps in population from gold and silver strikes
Railroads also accounted for large population increase
Meat-processing centers
Fish, grain, lumber markets

5. 3. Mexicanos in the Southwest
Home of Spanish descendants from Mexico
Spanish-speakers called Mexicanos
White settlers were called Anglos by Mexicanos and they came for ranching, farming, and mining
Anglos caused the loss of economic and political power for many Mexicanos
The Anglos also took Mexicano land

6. 4. The Myth of the Old West
West – dangerous place filled with brave men and women
Easterners bought “dime novels” – tales of daring adventures
Heroes were sometimes real people, but plots were exaggerated or fiction
Owen Wister – author of popular novels that spread myths about the wild west
Native Americans were villains and African Americans weren’t mentioned
Buffalo Bill Cody – owned a successful wild west show
Life was really drab in the West

7. 5. The Real West
Cowhands, Mexican and Native American ranchers were not mentioned in myths, but played a large role
African Americans served in military (Buffalo Soldiers)
Chinese immigrants built railroads
Myths made Native Americans look like bad guys, but overlooked broken treaties by white settlers
Settlers needed gov’t help to remove Native Americans
Gov’t also helped in building of railroads and gave land to homesteaders