Why the West was Wild

1. Why the West was Wild • Expansion of Industry • Iron Horse

2. Expansion of Industry • northeastern labor demands fuel European immigration • 1870-1900 population of US doubles • 1870-1900 farmland in US double-edged • 1870-1900 mining workers grow from 70k to 700k • 1870-1919 capital stock grew from 27 billion 227 billion

3. Expansion of industry • Northwest territories linked to Eastern seaboard by rails. • 1860-80 five mainlines from Chicago to East coast

4. The Iron Horse and Industry • creates demand • iron, timber, coal, engines • Facilitates colonizations and capitalization

5. The Iron Horse • subsidized construction • government pays costs • government provides land to companies • 40 acres of land in territory for every mile of track laid down.

6. Western Right of Ways • RR 181 million acres of land. • largest landholder in western territories • 1862 80 k homesteaders • rail right of ways as prime areas: • 1 in 9 acres to small settlers

7. Development of far-western resource extraction • factories in the mountains, woods and fields. • cattle • mining • timber Western cattle industry lasted at most 20 years ut became an iconic image.

8. Resource Extraction • agriculture=first “industry” • creation of value • developed as labor intensive

9. Resource Extraction • Mining=territory opener • independent prospectors • boom towns • takeover by mining corporations • company towns

10. Resource Extraction • demand for labor = immigrants • Asian & Mexican • Europe • Emancipated Slaves

11. Post-Civil War Population Growth • immigration 1850-80 • homestead act of 1862- • 160 acres of land for five year inhabitation and improvement.

12. Post Civil War Advantages • large military left over from civil war • new technologies • rail transport • rifled barrels

13. Indian Wars 1840-65 • local policy • colonization • change environment • generate conflict

14. Indian Wars 1840-65 • Oregon territory • Southwest • Basin and range • Indian Territory • Plains

15. Navajo campaign • 1864-3 Kit Carson leads campaign against Apache and Navajo. • 8,474 Navajo marched from Navajo to Bosque Redondo in • 1868 treaty reserve in Navajoland • 3 goats per man woman and child.

16. INDIAN TERRITORY • Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles join civil war • 7/17/1863 Battle of Honey Springs, • 1866 treaties: cede western half of Indian territory. • Allow construction of two RRs. • Emancipate slaves (may adopt them)

17. Lakota campaigns • war over encroachment • 1862 building of Bozeman trail infuriates Sioux. • 1863 Minnesota: Little Crow’s war • 500 killed, thousands displaced 23 counties depopulated • 1866 Red Cloud war • treaty dismantles Bozeman forts

18. Northern Cheyenne War • treaty of Horse Creek 1851 • N & W CO reserved for Indians • 1861-4 Tension with Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux • Indians attack trails.

19. Northern Cheyenne War • Sand Creek Massacre • 11/28/1864 • John Chivington and CO volunteers • 179 Arapahoes and Cheyennes killed

20. Southern Plains • treaty signed at Medicine lodge KA 1867 • provided reservation • free hunting through old range • Cheynne chief Satanta

21. Indian Wars • Destruction Of Native Resource Basis • “extincting” the Buffalo • destruction of CA hill country

22. Shrinking Buffalo Herds • railroad food supply • sport hunting • buffalo hide sales • wipe out Sioux • subsistence

23. Treaty ritual and negotiation • rituals: peace pipe and signing • council: time of making statements and negotiating

24. Indian Cessions • Dawes Allotment Act 1887 • individual allotment • sale of “remainder”

25. Mexican cessions • 1854-91 • grants approved by Congressional Act • 212 claims were heard and 22 approved • 1891-1904: • Court of Private Land claims for NM territory • 34,653,340 acres tried--1,934,986 validated • = a 6% retention rate. • commonly held land land as owned by the State.

26. Public Acquisition of Land • 2 million private Mexican--->private Anglo • 1.7 million collective Mex--->private Anglo • 1.8 million collective Mex--->state owned • 3 million collective Mex------>Fed. owned