1. Daily Speak Daily Speak
You are a cowboy in You love life on the open range and the cattle drives. Times are changing though and now settlers are fencing off land. Some of the older cowboys say its time to settle down and buy a small ranch.
What would make you give up a cowboys life?

2. Section 1: Miners, Ranchers and Railroads

3. Main idea
As more and more people move west, mining, ranching, and railroads are going to soon change the West

5. Western Growth Move out there? No Way!
Many saw the west as a useless piece of land much like the desert
The West was the frontier (undeveloped area)‏

6. Mining Boom 1859-Comstock Lode discovered in Nevada
Rich deposit of gold and silver
Lured thousands of miners to the West to “strike it rich”
In its first 20 years ppl found more than $500 Million worth of gold and silver

7. New Immigrants
Immigrants of all races and colors were racing to the Western part of the U.S. to strike it rich!

8. New Towns
Boomtowns- towns that grow suddenly when a mine was opened

9. Cattle Kingdom
Cattle ranching becomes popular in the Midwest on the open range
This is the same land the Indians lived off of... we will revisit this later this chapter!

10. End of the Open Range
Open range used to be public land, used by the Plains Indians
Was used for huge cattle drives as well
Competition for land ends the open range
Barbed wire ends “openness”

11. Growing Communication
More people in the West = needs for communication and transportation to the West
Pony Express= messengers on horseback that delivered mail
Telegraphs put the Pony express out of business

12. Transcontinental Railroad
Many Americans wanted a railroad to connect the East Coast to the West Coast
Pacific Railway Act- the Government gave loans and land to the railroad companies
The government land could be sold to help pay for railroad

13. Transcontinental Railroad
It was hard dangerous work building the railroad.
Two companies competed against each other
Union Pacific vs Central Pacific
Golden Spike pounded in at Promontory Utah, the meeting point of the two railroads

14. Results of the Railroad
Helped economy
Helped businesses
Railroads becomes one of the largest industries in America