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Published byLillian Avice Lewis Modified over 9 years ago
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The Mining Booms Ch. 18.1
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Gold, Silver, Boomtowns 1858 More gold discovered in the west (Pike’s Peak) 1859 50,000 prospectors headed to Colorado Most of the gold was deep underground Most individuals made very little Companies had a better chance of getting rich
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Boom Comstock Lode 1859, Nevada’s Carson River One of the world’s richest deposits of silver Gold strikes created boomtowns Virginia City, Nevada Money that was made was spent quickly Gambling
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Bust Many people came to the boomtowns lured by the promise of prosperity When the ore was gone, people would leave Boomtowns became ghost towns
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The U.S. Expands West As gold and silver disappeared, people mined: Copper Lead Zinc These mining areas became states Colorado: 1876 North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Montana: 1889 Wyoming and Idaho: 1890
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Ranchers and Farmers Ch. 18.2
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Cattle Ranchers Spanish brought tough breed of cattle known as Longhorns These Longhorns spread across the state of Texas Texas was mostly an open range Open Range: Not fenced or divided into lots
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Railroads and Cow Towns Most of the markets for beef were in the North and the East 1865: Missouri Pacific Railroad reached Kansas City, Missouri Texas cattle was herded from Texas to Missouri and loaded onto trains to the cities in the North and the East
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The Long Drive Long Drive: Herding of cattle 1,000 miles or more to meet the railroads Texas to Missouri Left in the spring 15 hours of riding/day Cow Towns: Towns located on the route of the Long Drive near railroads Between the late 1860s-1880s, more than 5 million cattle moved north
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Cowhands Dangers: Violent storms Rustlers: Cattle-stealers Stampedes Cowhands Civil War Vets African Americans Hispanics
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Farmers Settle the Plains Why did people settle the Plains? Railroads made the journey easier New laws offered free land Above average rainfall in the 1870s
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The Homestead Act 1862 Gave 160 free acres to a settler who paid a $10 filing fee and lived on the land for 5 years Homestead: Earn ownership of land by settling on it Late 1870s: Thousands of African Americans took the journey from the South to Kansas “Exodusters” Left at the end of Reconstruction due to fear for their safety in the South
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