1. Westward Expansion

2. Westward Expansion
Following the Civil War, many Americans and Europeans continued to move into the WEST

3. Why do you think someone would want to move west in 1860?

4. Between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains
Great Plains
“as far as the eye can see… millions of acres of treeless grassland.”
Between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains

6. Physical Features and Climate
Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west
Land eroded by wind and water
Low rainfall
Frequent dust storms

7. Great Plains Only 20 inches of rain per year
Home to the buffalo – can survive in dry climate (sacred to the Native Americans)
High winds stir up dust and create dust storms

8. Westward Expansion Reasons to GO:
New beginning for freedmen
Opportunities to own land
Treasure – discovery of gold and silver
Desire for adventure
New Technology –people could live in challenging environments

10. Opportunities for Land
Homestead Act
Opportunities for Land
Homestead Act (1862) – government incentive that gave 160 acres (1/4 sq. mi.) if met certain requirements:
21 years old, or head of family
US citizens or filing for
Build a certain size home and live for 6 months
Farm the land for five consecutive years

11. BOOM!! Gold and Silver! Towns called BOOMTOWNS grew over night
Miners came from all over
Town life was expensive
Violence was part of BOOMTOWN life

12. BUST!! Gold and Silver! No more gold!!
A lot of people moved to new sites or back home
Now called ghost towns

13. Adventure
Who likes adventure??? The West was exciting and new - People flocked to the West for adventure

15. New Technology
Because of new inventions, people saw the Great Plains not as a “treeless wasteland” but as a vast area to be settled.
Dry Farming
2. Wheat Farming
3. Steel Plow
4. Windmills
5. Mechanical Reaper
6. Beef Cattle Raising
7. Barbed Wire
8. Railroads
9. Sod Houses

16. Dry Farming
Type of farming that allows farmers to farm without much water.
Plant the seeds deeper to get more water
Popular crops = wheat, corn, and watermelon

17. Wheat Farming Wheat doesn’t need much water
Wheat can be made into flour which is non-perishable and can be used to make bread and cereal

18. Steel Plow Great Plain soil was rocky
Wooden plows weren’t strong enough
Harder steel made the plow work

19. Windmills Water-pumping Windmills:
Provided water for people and animals due to little rainfall
Wind turns the blades of the windmill
A long rod that runs down the tower moves the handle of a pump up and down
The water flows into an open wooden box called a trough

20. Mechanical Reaper
Mechanical Reaper (mower) reduced farm labor needs and increased production

22. Beef Cattle Raising Some areas good for cow (cattle)
Texas became the center of cattle ranching
People in the East wanted to eat beef

24. Barbed Wire Barbed wire was used for fencing large ranches and farms
Built quickly and was cheap
Wood fences were expensive and hard to get (few trees for wood)

26. Houses made out of sod (dirt)
Sod Houses
Sod = the top layer of soil and grass
Houses made out of sod (dirt)
Sod was used on the walls and roof (placed over wood beams)

28. Railroads Made it easier to go west
Farmers could ship their crop to the east
Transcontinental Railroad – linked the East to the West (from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean)
Transported people and goods
Made trade easier
Started building factories in the West

30. Transcontinental Railroad
Two Railroads: Union Pacific and Central Pacific
Union Pacific: began in Omaha, Nebraska (blue)
Central Pacific: began in Sacramento, California (red)
“Meet me in the Middle”
May 10, 1869: UP and CP met at Promontory Point, Utah…Leland Stanford, gov. of California, drove the last spike.

31. Transcontinental Railroad WHO BUILT THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD?
Union Pacific – 8,000 Irish and African Americans
Central Pacific – 10,000 Chinese

32. Invented by Samuel Morse
Telegraph
Invented by Samuel Morse
THINK MORSE CODE
Allowed people to communicate across long distances.
Messages could travel across the country in a matter of minutes.