Settling the West: 1865-1900

1. Settling the West: 1865-1900 Chapter 13

2. Pages 414-419 Chapter 13 ~ Section 1 Miners and Ranchers

3. Why It Matters After the Civil War, a dynamic period in American history opened—the settlement of the West. The lives of Western miners, farmers, and ranchers were often filled with great hardships, but the wave of American settlers continued. Railroads hastened this migration. During this period, many Native Americans lost their homelands and their way of life.

4. Main Idea Miners and ranchers settled large areas of the West. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AzSK9rtbm8

6. Key Terms and Names to Know • placer mining • quartz mining • Henry Comstock • vigilance committee • open range • long drive • Chisholm Trail • Maverick • barbed wire

7. Growth of the Mining Industry • The West was filled with gold, silver, and copper and that attracted the first settlers • Early settlers used simple tools like picks, shovels, and pans to dig up ore. This was called placer mining • After all those resources disappeared, corporations moved in to dig deep into the earth’s surface. This was called quartz mining

8. Economics • Towns that had resources discovered became “boom’ towns • The towns went through cycles of “booms’ to “bust” once the resources dried up • Vigilance committees were formed by volunteers to try and manage the law • The money made mining financed the building of railroads through the Rocky Mountains and made Denver a large important mining city