The Wide and Wild West

1. The Wide and Wild West The west includes the following 11 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The western edge is the Pacific Coast. The west has a variety of natural features. The most common are the mountains. The Rocky Mountain rang is the longest in North America. The go as far south as New Mexico. The are many different climates in the West. Some parts are semi-arid, or very dry with very little rain fall. History of the West Native American groups used the land in the West. They made canoes from evergreen trees. Europeans entered the West in the 1500s. Spanish explorers claimed the area for Spain.

2. Lewis and Clark explored a huge land area called the Louisiana Territory. Mountain men worked in these mountains to trap beavers and other animals for their fur. Routes Westward Mid-1800s, pioneers in covered wagons traveled across the west. They traveled the Oregon Trail that spanned more than 2,000 miles between Missouri and the Oregon Territory. The Gold Rush When gold was discovered in 1848, everything in the west changed. Thousands of “forty-niners” traveled to California to find their fortune. Chinese immigrants joined Americans looking for gold. Mining towns grew up throughout the West.

3. Resources and Economy In the 1800s, they came looking for gold. Settlers moved to farm on the richest soil in the world. They fished the ocean and work in the electronics industry. Farming Central Valley of California is considered on e of the best farming areas in the world. Most of the grapes in the United States is produced in this rich soil area. Idaho grows the most potatoes. Fishing The seafood industry is important to states on the Pacific Ocean. Salmon are common in the cold northern waters. Many fish move north during the summer which gives Alaska a short but busy fishing season.

4. Mining Colorado is an important producer of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Colorado produces sand and gravel which is used in roads and bridges. Computers and Electronics Silicon Valley lies along California’s San Francisco Bay. The Valley grew when Internet, personal computers, and other technologies were being developed. On the Edge Earthquakes are very common in the West. The region sits on top a boundary between two of Earth’s plates. Plates are pieces of Earth’s crust that constantly move and shift. Earthquakes happen when plates shift against or away from each other. The San Andreas Fault cuts through California. This fault has caused damage from disastrous earthquakes.

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