1. Settling the Western Frontier 1862-1890
Ch. 18—p. 349

2. Sect 1: The Great Plains
A vast stretch between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains

3. Americans traveled west by stagecoach

4. St. Louis, MO was the western end of the railroad at this time

5. Americans were afraid of American Indians
Wagon Trains-brought shipments of supplies
(large number of wagons traveling together)

6. Telegraph- improved communication

7. Transcontinental Railroad- extended the railroad across the continent
Central Pacific Railroad- Started west (Sacramento CA) and was built east

8. Union Pacific Railroad-was started in Omaha NE and built west
Chinese immigrants and Irish war veterans were hired to build the railroad
It was dangerous—many killed

9. Tunnels had to be blasted through mountains
In May of 1869, the two railroads met at Promontory Point, Utah

10. Central Pacific- more than 700 miles of track
Union Pacific- more than 1,000 miles of track
The Great Plains could be settled easier with the use of the railroad

11. Ch.18-Sect.2- Frontier Life-p.352
Miners, farmers, and cowhands settled the west

12. Cowhand- people who tended to cattle They searched for gold, built cattle ranches, and claimed land for family farms

13. Gold was discovered near Pikes Peak, Colorado just before the Civil War
Prospector-a person who searches for gold, silver, and other minerals
Prospectors traveled many miles to the west to find gold
During the 1860s gold was discovered in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming

14. Most miners never became rich
Many who traveled west in search for gold settled down and became farmers, ranchers, or loggers

15. There was a lack of law and order in the west
Many formed city governments
They elected sheriffs

16. Cattle Country Longhorn cattle were running wild in Texas
Texans rounded up the cattle and raised it for beef, hides, and other goods

17. Cattle was easy to raise in the Great Plains
Ranchers wanted to bring their cattle to
Chicago

18. They lacked transportation until the railroad was built

19. Cowhands guided cattle and branded them with the mark of their owner

20. The Chisholm Trail was a widely used cattle trail
A cattle drive took more than two months
Cowhands spent about 18 hrs. a day in the saddle

21. Cowtowns were where cowhands stopped to rest
They had many saloons and gambling houses

22. United States Marshalls provided law in cowtowns
Marshalls like Wild Bill Hickok

23. The Homestead Act- 1862-made it easy for pioneers to own land
Settlers were given 160 acres if they agreed to live on it for 5 years

24. Homesteader- a pioneer who owned land under the Homestead Act
Theses farmers found the ground hard to plow and there was little rain
Trees for building and fuel were only found on riverbanks
Farmers began to make houses out of sod
Sod- grass and roots that is thickly matted

25. Sod House

26. Joseph Glidden-Barbed Wire
Barbed wire kept cattle from roaming or wandering off

27. Windmill-powered by the wind to pump water from a well

28. The Plains Indians – Sect 3-p. 356
Cheyenne, Comanche, Blackfeet and 7 tribes of the Sioux lived on the Plains
They were hunters and nomads
Nomad- walks from place to place in search of food; following buffalo herds

29. Buffalo
Indians ate the meat, used the hides for clothing, shelter and used the bones to make tools

30. Buffalo hide

31. Buffalo hide for Shelter

32. Buffalo bones for tools

33. Killing of the Buffalo
The Army thought if they killed the buffalo they would force the Indians to settle in one place
Farmers and ranchers wanted the buffalo out of their way
Others killed buffalo to sell their hides

34. Wild Bill Cody
Killed more than 4,000 buffalo in 18 months
Got the name “Buffalo” Bill
By 1889, only 541 buffalo survived in the US

35. Indians were moved to reservations
Reservation-land set aside by the government for the American Indians
Some Indians chose to fight
Reservations were in New Mexico, Arizona, Dakotas and Wyoming

36. Gold Discovered in South Dakota
This land was holy to the Sioux Indians
They believed the “Great Spirit” lived in its hills
The US government promised the Black Hills would belong to the Sioux forever
Prospectors invaded the Black Hills for gold
Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse gathered more than 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors to defend their lands

37. Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse gathered more than 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors to defend their lands

38. General George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry met the Indians at Little Big Horn
Custer and 210 members of his troops were killed

39. Indians are Starving after Victory
Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce as they fled and traveled 1,500 miles in 75 days
Many Indians starved or froze to death
Chief Joseph urged his people to surrender
“I will fight no more forever”

40. Chief Joseph

41. American Indian Reservations-1890

42. Chief Red Cloud
Went to Washington D.C. to inform the government of the Sioux’s problems
He said they were dishonest, broke treaties, and instilled fear
Called the President, “Great White Father” to bring peace

43. Congress Aids American Indians-Sect. 4- p.360
A book about how the Indians were mistreated was written by Helen Hunt Jackson—A Century of Dishonor
The Dawes Act A law that would turn American Indians into independent farmers
Attempted to protect the Indians from being cheated

44. The Battle of Wounded Knee
Indians believed in performing a Ghost Dance
This dance would protect them from bullets, remove white settlers, and bring back the buffalo
The Ghost Dance frightened settlers
An army was sent to prevent violence

45. Wounded Knee Massacre 290 Indian men, women and children were killed
25 soldiers were killed

46. Western States Admitted to the Union 1864-1912
1864 – Nevada Idaho Nebraska Wyoming Colorado Utah North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota New Mexico Montana Arizona 1889-Washington