1. Joining Ceremony Promontory Point, Utah 1869 joining ceremony
*RR’s brought settlers,
supplies, & towns to the
west and allowed western
products to be shipped to
eastern markets

2. Plains Indians Treaties and Reservations
Stay in defined area and receive annuities (yearly goods & payments) in perpetuity (forever)
Tribes treated as “domestic dependant nations” i.e. foreign nations, living within the U.S., receiving certain services from the U.S. gov’t

3. Tremendous corruption in B.I.A (Bureau of Indian Affairs) historically
Dawes Act 1887 (Allotment Act)
Attempt to give 160-acre lots of reservation land to make heads of households instead of being held by whole tribe.
Purpose- forced assimilation, land acquisition
*Boarding schools created to push assimilation
**Result – loss of land and of culture
Issues today include” sovereignty, econ development,
preservation of culture, social issues, etc

4. Red Cloud’s War 1866-68 (*only “war” won by Indians…)
Oglalla Sioux lay siege to army forts built along the
..Bozeman trail
Fetterman’s Massacre/”Battle of the Hundred in the Hand”
*”Give me 80 men and I’ll ride right through the Sioux nation…” W. Fetterman

5. 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty
Gave Sioux Black Hills, hunting rights in Powder River county

6. >Black Kettle’s Southern Cheyenne
*The discovery of gold in Colorado and settler’s moving into southern plains
leads to warfare in the 1860’s in CO, KS, OK, NB, etc.
>>1864 Massacre at Sand Creek, CO by Col. Chivington
*150 – 200 Killed
**Horrible atrocities committed…
>>1868 Massacre at Washita River by Custer
*Over 100 killed – only 13 were fighting aged men

7. Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)
>1874 Custer confirms existence of gold in Black Hills.
>1875 Army issues ultimatum to free living Sioux, “return to reservation by Jan 31st or be considered hostile”
>> 1876 Military campaign culminating with Custer battle
(or “Battle of the Little Bighorn”)June 25th

8. 1877 Flight of the Nez Perce Chased by the U.S. military from
N.E. Oregon to the Bear Paw
Mountains in Montana
*Caught just short of their goal to
get to Canada
Chief Joseph gives his famous
“I will fight no more forever” speech
Battle of the Big Hole

9. 1890 Ghost Dance Cult
Wounded Knee Battle or Massacre in badlands of South Dakota
Nearly 300 men, women and children killed

10. Cattle and Cowboys Texas >By 1860, 5 million longhorns ran wild
>Texas price $3 to $5
>Price at railheads of Dodge City, Abilene, etc. $30 to $50

11. The Long Drive (1800’s) >20 to 25 miles a day for 2 to 3 months
>Spanish influence- bronco, rodeo, latigo, lariat, corral, etc.
>1 in 5 cowboys were Hispanic, 1 in 7 were black
>Personnel included: boss, cowboys, cook, wrangler, nighthawk
>Remuda-

12. Boom Period Trails to new areas
Goodnight - Loving to Colorado & Wyoming
Chisolm Trail to Abilene,Kansas
Western Trail to Montana
Open range & annual roundups and brandings
Eastern speculators investing…

13. Bust Overgrazing & weather force changes Changed ranching methods to:
Summer of 1886 – droughty, causing poor feed & little water
Winter of most severe causing huge losses
C.M. Russell’s “Last of 5,000” sketch…
Changed ranching methods to:
Wells dug
Pastures fenced and rotated
Winter shelters built
Fewer cows run
Diversification
*Range Wars: Cattlemen vs. Sheepmen, settlers

14. 1862 Homestead Act 160 acres for Free
Small filing fee
2 requirements:
Live on land for 5 years
“Improve” it
*Intended to, and does, encourage settlement of west – by 1900 some 600,000 claims are filed

15. Railroad Land Advertised in East & in Europe
Provided (paid) transportation and sold land to settlers
i.e.- Great Northern R.R. in Dakotas & Montana
The Train Depot in Helena, MT

16. House of Sod
* Later “Kit” Houses – pre-fabricated plank or wood houses

17. Inventions Windmills Dry Farming Techniques
Steel Plow (invented by John Deere)

18. Hardships
Weather
Pests
Isolation

19. Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 Opening of parts of “Indian Territory”
to white settlers
“Sooners” vs. “Boomers” – Sooners snuck into the sale area illegally (too “soon”)