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Moving West SC Standard: 5-2.1--Analyze the geographic and economic factors that influenced westward expansion and the ways these factors affected travel and settlement, including physical features of the land; the climate and natural resources; and land ownership and their other economic opportunities. Jennifer Rowe
Understanding Why We Moved West • Reasons for Westward Expansion • Click on the link below. Click on the primary sources and put them in sequential order. Each source will have an explanation of the itself. • http://docsteach.org/activities/104
“Gateway to the West” St. Louis • Pioneers traveled to embarkation points. • The most famous was St. Louis, Missouri also known as “gateway to the West”. • From here, pioneers traveled in covered wagons across trails originally used by Native Americans. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/clickDirector.cfm/type/video/action/download/guidAssetID/A44A557E-B51D-417E-99A2-257A3CD9A394/strRealname/The_Westward_Movement_Begins.asf
Traveling Along the Trails • Explores and mountain men followed the Native American trails and wrote their own guidebooks. • The trails became increasingly marked as more migrants traveled the paths. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/clickDirector.cfm/type/video/action/download/guidAssetID/B139AEE9-CDAB-49EB-BAA5-956C09D72BF3/strRealname/Routes_Westward.asf
The Great Plains • Also called “The Great American Desert” • Migrants originally skipped this land and went straight to the coast. • The agricultural potential of this dry, flat land was not realized.
The Great Plains • Technology was created to cultivate this new land. • Steel plows were needed to till the hard packed earth. • Windmills would bring scarce water to the surface. • Certain seeds were needed to grow in the challenging climate such as Russian wheat. • Mechanical reapers were used to cut and gather crops. • These new finds made this region enticing to other pioneers.
Rocky Mountains • Trails through the mountains followed passes that were often impassable during spring rains and winter snows. • This made it extremely important for travelers to leave St. Louis in time to avoid these types of climate. • http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/reference/pagegen_co.pdf
Rocky Mountains This site has a diary describing the Rocky Mountains during travel--http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/murray:@field(DOCID+@lit(lcrbmrpt2103div1))
Major River Systems • Travelers not only had to deal with the Rocky Mountains and the vast Great Plains, but also rivers. • The major river systems of the west: • Mississippi River • Columbia River • Colorado River • Snake River • Go to this website to identify the major river systems of the west. • http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/outline/rivers_lakes.pdf
The Climate of the West • The climate of the west was both a challenge for travelers and settlers. • Storms were often accompanied by tornadoes. • Unpredictable weather such as early snows or late-spring hailstorms could ruin crops and imperil livelihoods. • Winters: • Winters brought snow and thus resulting in spring floods. • Summers: • Summers were hot and dry. They often brought drought, dust storms, and swarms of insects. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/clickDirector.cfm/type/video/action/download/guidAssetID/7A4E3C17-989F-4DE0-9133-DF28E6F4554A/strRealname/How_Climate_and_Geography_Have_Affected_America_s_Growth.asf
Pioneer Journal • Your teacher will read several entries about people traveling west. Pay close attention to the life style lived and the environment during their travels through the west. • You will write 3 diary entries from the perspective of a pioneer traveling west. You must include the climate, geographical environment, life style of a pioneer during this time, and compare it to your life before leaving for the West. • Go to this website at the Library of Congress to read transcribed writings from pioneers traveling west. • http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/wpa:@field(DOCID+@lit(wpa229091524))#290915240001