1. Westward Expansion: Moving West

2. Reasons why people moved west after the Civil War
In the East, farmland was expensive
Poor people could not buy their own land
Sharecropping was how many poor whites and ex-slaves had to farm
The West (or frontier) was “wide open” – especially the Great Plains where “only” some Indians lived
Gold and silver was discovered – drawing people who wanted to get rich quick

3. Wild Frontier- The Great Plains

4. More Reasons for Moving West
Mountain Men and Trappers had been moving west since Colonial times for animals
Still chance to make money – animals were still abundant and their parts could be used to sell
Millions of buffalo lived on the Great Plains – easy to kill and hides (skins) worth money back east
Sense of adventure and freedom
Chance to start a new life – outlaws or people in debt
Manifest Destiny- Fate of America to expand West to the Pacific Ocean

5. Gold and Silver Strikes
The CA Gold Rush began in 1849, attracting thousands of gold hunters known as forty-niners.

6. Major "Strikes" in the California Gold Rush
In 1852, the take for the year was $80 million ($1.9 billion in 2005 dollars).
Sutter's Mill/Coloma - Jan. 24, 1848 James Marshall kicked off the California gold rush when he spotted some pea-sized bits of gold in a mill raceway. The news brought thousands of prospectors to the area, but neither Marshall nor his employer John Sutter prospered from the find.

7. Gold and silver mines were discovered throughout the West.
Thousands of miners from the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and China flocked to the West to work in the mines.
White and Chinese miners hoping to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush at Auburn Ravine in 1852.

8. The Transcontinental Railroad
· Railroad companies raced to lay railroad tracks to the mines in order to supply the miners. There were not many railroad tracks out West.

9. Union Pacific Railroad Central Pacific Railroad
Promontory Point, Utah
Omaha, Nebraska . .
Union Pacific Railroad x
Central Pacific Railroad J j
Sacramento, California
· In 1863, two companies, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, began building the first transcontinental railroad.

10. Immigrant Workers
· Labor was scarce due to the hard, dangerous work and low pay.
Union Pacific - hired many Irish immigrants
Central Pacific - approximately 90% of their workforce were Chinese immigrants
· Therefore, immigrant labor was used.

11. Chinese railroad workers perform their duties in the snow.
· The workers endured scorching deserts, blinding snowstorms, and dangers from explosives to blast through mountains.
Chinese railroad workers perform their duties in the snow.

12. Transcontinental Railroad
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was hammered into a track joining the two tracks in Promontory Point, UT completing the transcontinental railroad!
The railroads cut travel time west from six months to six days!