Chapter 24 Tensions in the West

1. Chapter 24 Tensions in the West

2. 24. 1 Introduction *In this chapter you will read about how settlers’ dreams of freedom and opportunity clashed with the dreams of the Native Americans who already lived in the West. *The conflict between settlers and Indians was Not just a fight over land. It was a conflict Between two different cultures and ways of life. *Like other Indians, the Nez Perce had already been forced onto reservations to make way for new settlers. Now they are told that the government wanted to divide their reservation into farm plots. *The Indians listened in stony silence. While settlers saw owning a plot of land as a way to be free, to the Nez Perce being tied to one spot of earth would be like being in jail. *As you read about the Nez Perce and other Indian groups, you will see how the progress of the settlers meant the end of the Indians’ ways of

3. 24.2 The Nez Perce *For centuries, the Nez Perce freely roam the mountains and valleys where Oregon, Washington and Idaho come together today. *Their name is given to them by French explorers. It means “pierced nose” In French. *They become expert horse riders and breeders. *They develop their own breed known as the Appaloosa. *They treasure their homeland and way of life. But as more and more strangers arrive from the East, the world of the Nez Perce will change forever.

4. 24.2 Continued… Friendship with Whites *1805 the Nez Perce save Lewis and Clark and their expedition from starvation. *They are also friendly with trappers, traders, and missionaries. *Their friendship is broken in 1860 when miners swarm the over their land and settlers follow. *Some Nez Perce bands sign treaties in which they agree to give up their land and move to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho. Other bands refuse to sign.

5. 24.2 Continued… *Chief Joseph led one of those bands. *In 1877 the U.S. government presented him with a terrible choice: either give up your land peacefully or else army troops with come and force you out. *Facing a battle he could not win, Chief Joseph agreed to move his people to Lapwai. Blood is shed *That summer, 700 Nez Perce leave the Wallowa Valley. *Their heart are filled with bitterness. *A group of angry young warriors murder several whites. *When soldiers arrive soon afterward, the two sides fight. “I will fight no more forever.” The Flight to Canada The Nez Perce leave for Canada, with the U.S. army following. *For over three months and over 1000 miles, the chase continues, with the Nez Perce winning several battles. *Finally, the chase ends less than 40 miles from the Canadian border. *Chief Joseph and his followers are sent to a reservation in Oklahoma. Soon they begin to fall sick and die. IN time, some Nez Perce went to Lapwai, Chief Joseph and others were sent to a reservation in Washington. They never went back to their homeland. *When Chief Joseph dies in 1904, the doctor lists the cause of death as “a broken heart.”

6. 24.3 New Interest in the West *In 1861 and 1862 Congress passes two laws that stir new interest in the West. The Homestead Act *Offers farmers 160 acres of land in the West for free. *All the homesteader has to do is clear the land and farm it for five years. After that, the homesteader is given the land. The impact of the law is enormous. *Between 1860 and 1910, the number of farms in the United States triples from 2 million to more than 6 million.

7. 24.3 Continued… The Pacific Railroad Act *Calls for the building of a transcontinental railroad to link the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. *This project is given to two railroad companies: the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. *Congress gives the two companies subsidies in the form of sections of free land for every mile of track they lay. The railroads can then sell the land to settlers. The government also gives the two companies more than $60 mil. *This kicks off the greatest period of railroad construction in the nation’s history. *By 1900, the railroads will lay 170,000 miles of track, much of it in the West. *Railroads open the west to farmers, ranchers, prospectors, preachers, schemers and dreamers and more than a few crooks. But most are ordinary folks dreaming for a new start.

8. 24.4 The Railroad Builders *The plan is for the Union Pacific to start in Nebraska and build tracks westward across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. *The Central Pacific will start in California and lay tracks eastward across the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Great Basin. *The two lines will meet somewhere in between. *Laying tracks is hard work. *The surveyors study the land first and choose the route. *Graders prepare the land. They cut through hills and fill up valleys to make the route as level as possible. *Tracklayers put down wooden ties and haul in heavy iron rails. *Finally, spikers nail the rails to the ties with spikes.

9. 24.4 Continued… The Union Pacific Builds West *The UP gets off to a slow start. *1866 Grenville Dodge takes charge of construction. *He commands an army of 10,000 workers. *Most of them are Irish immigrants, ex-soldiers, Mexicans, and freed slaves. All are young men who need jobs and crave adventure. *By 1867 crews are laying seven miles of track a day across the plains. *Workers live in tent cities that follow the tracks. *The railroad is an invasion of Plains Indians homeland. They destroy the main source of food; buffalo.Warriors attack work crews and derail supply trains. *Soon 5,000 troops guard the crews as they work. Workers laying track across the Great Plains for the Union Pacific Railroad

10. 24.4 Continued… The Central Pacific Builds East *Central Pacific faces different problems in California. *Construction practically stops as workers leave for the newly discovered silver mines in Nevada. *In desperation, Charles Crocker, head of construction, hires 50 Chinese workers. They prove they can do as Central Pacific construction camp much work as any other crew. *Impressed, Crocker send agent to China to hire more workers. *Young Chinese men jump at the chance to come to America to build a railroad. *More than 12,000 Chinese laborers work for the Central Pacific. They clear trees, shovel dirt, blast tunnels, and lay tracks. *At least 1,000 workers lose their lives in accidents. *Despite this, workers manage to lay up to ten miles Chinese workers for the Central of track a day. Pacific Railroad

12. 24.4 Continued… The Two Lines Meet *On May 10, 1869 the two lines meet at Promontory Point, Utah. *A golden spike is driven in to complete the 1,800 miles of railroad track. *The network of railroads will bring new settlers, encourage construction of towns and cities, and allow mail and supplies to be shipped clear across the country.

15. 24.5 Miners *The discovery of gold in California in 1848 sets off a great treasure hunt in the West. *By 1874 gold or silver has been found in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Boomtowns and Ghost Towns *Almost overnight, mining camps mushroom into fast-growing settlements called boomtowns. *These instant towns have no government and no law. *Robbery and murder are common. *Vigilantes hand out swift justice. A suspected murderer might be arrested, tried, convicted and hanged all in the same day. *When the gold and silver is gone, most miners move on and the towns fade away. Bodie, California, today

16. 24.5 Continued… Mining Changes the West *In many ways, mining is destructive. It damages the land and displaces many Native Americans. *But most Americans see mining as a source of wealth and opportunity. *Some boomtowns, like Reno and Denver, survive to become prosperous cities. *Mining also opens the West’s mountains and deserts to other settlers. *Some are businesspeople who invest in the heavy equipment used in mining. *Others are farmers, ranchers, and merchants. *Together they will turn lonely territories into new western states. Early Denver, Colorado

17. 24.6 Ranchers and Cowboys *A third group of settlers in the West consists of rancher and the cowboys who tend their herds of cattle. *Longhorn cattle can sell for as much as $50 each in New York or Chicago. *The problem is how to transport the cattle to the cities. The Extermination of the Buffalo *Railroads bring buffalo hunters. *Hunters kill huge numbers of buffalo. *Plains Indians depend on the buffalo for food. They are horrified by the slaughter. *1874, Congress passes a bill outlawing the killing of more buffalo than can be used for food but President Grant refuses to sign the bill. *By 1880, the buffalo has all but vanished. *Plains Indians have no choice but to move onto reservations. *The plains are now open to ranchers and their cattle.

18. 24.6 Continued… The “Long Drive” *Railroads solve the ranchers’ transportation problem. *1867 Joseph McCoy builds the first stockyard next to the railroad in Abilene, Kansas. *Cowboys take cattle to the stockyard in what they call the “long drive.” Cattle are loaded onto boxcars and shipped east. *Over the next 20 years, cowboys will drive more than 5 million cattle to Abilene. Abilene Stockyard, 1867 *Another famous “cow town” is Dodge City, Kansas. It is wild, noisy, and dangerous. *Between 1872 and 1878, 64 victims of gunfights are buried on the hill above the town, most with their boots on. *To this day, the Dodge City cemetery is known as Boot Hill. Grave on Boot Hill, Dodge City, Kansas

19. 24.6 Continued… The End of the “Long Drive” *After growing rapidly for twenty years, the cattle industry collapses in 1887. *Winter of 1886-87 is so bad that many ranchers lose everything. They call it the “Great Die-Up.” *Surviving ranchers reduce their herds and fence their grazing lands. *They build barns and raise hay so they can shelter and feed their herds in winter. *The days of the long drive are over. *Wild cow towns become civilized ranching centers. Cowboys settle down and work as ranch hands. *The cattlemen open the Great Plains to settlement, and they create an industry that remains today.

20. 24.7 The Homesteaders *Farmers follow the ranchers onto the Great Plains. *Years of plentiful rain yield fine crops. The Homesteaders Arrive *By 1900 some 500,000 homesteaders move onto the Great Plains. *Farm families from the East, former slaves, and European immigrants are all lured west by the Sod home of John and Margaret Bakken promise of free or cheap land. Milton, North Dakota, circa 1895 Farming the Dry Plains *Farming is difficult at first. *Over time, homesteaders solve the problems. *They build houses out of sod instead of wood. *They use windmills to pump water from deep in the ground. *They learn to plow deeply to reach moist soil *With hard work, homesteaders make the Great Plains the most productive wheat-growing region in the world.

21. Land Loss of Native Americans

22. 24.8 War on the Plains *The rush of settlers forces a change in Federal policy toward Native Americans. *Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Native Americans had been promised lands in the Great Plains in exchange for giving up their homelands in the East. *By the mid-1800’s whites are pushing deep into this “Indian Territory.” *More and more, government officials see Indians as standing in the way of agricultural and industrial development of the West. *1867 Congress moves Indians onto reservations. *This policy is backed up by the force of the U.S. Army. *Many Native Americans fight this effort to take away their land. *In the 1870’s, the wars on the plains will settle this issue once and for all.

23. 24.8 Continued… Reservation Life *Native Americans hate the idea of being penned up. *Buffalo is disappearing and most have no choice but to move to reservations. Once there, the promise of food often fails to arrive, or is spoiled by the time it reaches the Indians. *Many warriors leave the reservations to look for game or to attack settlers. *They are then hunted by army troops.

24. 24.8 Continued… The Battle of the Little Bighorn *Most famous battle in this long struggle is Sitting Bull fought near the Little Big Horn River in present-day Montana. It soon becomes known as “Custer’s Land Stand.” *The trouble begins when soldiers led by Indian fighter George Custer find gold in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. George Custer *Within months, 15,000 people are swarming over Sioux land. *The government demands that the Sioux sell the Black Hills. The Sioux refuse. *The army is ordered to force the Indians out. *In June 1876, army scouts report that several thousand Sioux and Cheyenne are camped beside the Little Bighorn River. Custer is ordered to locate the camp and wait for reinforcements. *Custer decides to attack at once. He splits up his troops, and he suddenly finds himself surrounded by angry warriors. *The battle lasts only a few minutes, but in that time Custer and all his men, about 260, are killed. *Angry whites call the battle a massacre. Over the next few months the army tracks down the Sioux and Cheyenne and force them onto reservations. Congress takes the Black Hills and another 40 million acres of land away from the Sioux. *By 1887, most Native Americans have been moved onto reservations. Never again will Indians roam freely across the West.

25. 24.9 Chapter Summary *As settlers moved west, Native Americans were pushed off their lands and onto reservations. *When Indians like the Nez Perce resist, soldiers were sent to move them by force. *During the Civil War, the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act aroused new interest in the West. *The completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 opened the West to a flood of new settlers. *Much of the west was first explored by miners seeking gold and silver. The railroads helped ranchers and cowboys introduce large-scale cattle ranching to the Great Plains. *Homesteaders turned the Great Plains into the most productive wheat-producing region in the world. *The wars between settlers, soldiers, and Plains Indians came to a head in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Indians won the battle, but soon the Sioux and Cheyenne were forced onto reservations. *The settling of the West helped to make the United States one of the world’s largest and wealthiest countries. In the next chapter, you will learn how the rise of big business created new opportunities and problems for workers, immigrants, and politicians from east to west.