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Americans move west

Americans move west. What’s the big idea???. With more settlers moving west, mining, ranching and railroads transformed the western landscape Mining boom brought growth to the west Demand for cattle created “Cattle Kingdom” on the Great Plains

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Americans move west

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  1. Americans move west

  2. What’s the big idea??? • With more settlers moving west, mining, ranching and railroads transformed the western landscape • Mining boom brought growth to the west • Demand for cattle created “Cattle Kingdom” on the Great Plains • East and West were connected by the transcontinental railroad

  3. After the civil war… • U.S. population grew rapidly • Spread of settlements throughout the West • California expanded western boundary of our country to the Pacific Ocean (California admitted in 1850) • Frontier: undeveloped area • Now reaching the Pacific Ocean

  4. A changing frontier • Settlers built homes • Fenced off land • Laid out ranches and farms • Landscape of the west changed with the expansion of the railroads • Moved west’s natural resources to markets in the east

  5. Gold & silver bring riches • Mostly located in western Nevada • 1859, miner Henry Comstock discovered gold and silver in Nevada , was later called Comstock Lode • In the first year, it drew thousands of California miners to Nevada • Over 20 years, produced more than $500 million worth of gold and silver • Equipment to remove gold and silver from within quartz rock was expensive…..individual miners could not afford

  6. Gold & silver • Large companies purchased land claims • Mining was a big business in the west • Companies dug deeper, work became more dangerous • Unsafe equipment, worked underground breathing in hot stuffy air, lung disease, injuries, poorly planned explosions, fires • Mining was one of the most dangerous jobs in the country • Worries about safety and pay led to formation of union in 1860s

  7. People moving to the west • From all over the world came to work in the western mines • Eastern United States • Europe • Central America • South America • Asia

  8. boomtowns • Boomtowns: communities that grew suddenly when a mine opened • As soon as mine closed, towns disappeared • General stores, saloons, boardinghouses • Few women/families lived in boomtowns • Established for the workers who worked in the mines

  9. Boomtown to ghost town Boomtown Ghost Town

  10. Importance of cattle • Cattle industry saw rapid growth following the war • Growing economy, growing population, created a greater demand for beef • Sodl for $3-$6 in Texas, could be sold for $38 in Kansas and $80 in NY • Longhorn most popular breed of cattle • Needed very little water, suited to surviving in a dry and hot climate • Western Texas • Looking for a way to move cattle from Texas to the East???

  11. Joseph McCoy • 1867, discovered solution on how to move cattle from Kansas to the East • Built pens for cattle in Abilene, Kansas • Pacific Railroad line went through • Cattle could be penned and shipped by train • Texas ranchers making trip north to sell herds of cattle

  12. Cattle kingdom • Area from the Great Plains from Texas to Canada • Area where ranchers raised cattle • Huge herds grazed on public land (open range)

  13. cowboys • Cowboys: workers who took care of the ranchers’ cattle • Vaqueros: Mexican ranch hands who cared for cattle and horses • Vaqueros taught cowboys techniques on how to corral the cattle • Other things cowboys got from vaqueros: • Saddle • Lariat: rope used for lassoing cattle • Hat, which later became the high-peaked cowboy hat

  14. Cattle drive • Long journey where cowboys herded cattle to the market or to the Plains or grazing • Dangerous • Trip lasted several months • Hundreds of miles • Chisholm Trail: ran from San Antonio, TX to Abilene, Kansas • One of the earliest and most popular routes for cattle drives

  15. A Wild way of life • Cowboys were rowdy • Life in cattle towns were often rough and violent • Disorderly behavior • Wyatt Earp, law official that became famous for keeping peace in cattle town

  16. Competing for land • Cattle business boomed, ranchers face more competition for use of the open range • Began to buy range land on the Great Plains • Land where cattle once grazed freely • Small ranchers competing with large ranchers for land • An invention would cause drastic changes to life in the west and eventually the entire United Staes

  17. Barbed wire • 1874 barbed wire was invented • Allowed westerners to fence off large amount of land cheaply • Increased competition between farmers, large ranchers and small ranchers • Led to fights for access to the land • Would keep your own cattle in, and keep other animals off your land • Harder for cowboys to allow the cattle to roam and eat freely along their journeys

  18. Cattle kingdom comes to an end • 1885 and 1886 unusually severe winters • Huge cattle herds on the Plains had eaten most of the prairie grass • Worsened the ranching situation • Thousands of cattle died • Many ranchers ruined financially • Cattle Kingdom had come to an end

  19. Transportation between east and west • With more people moving west, the need increased for the transporting of goods and information to from East to West • 1860, Pony Express, system of messengers on horseback • Carried mail between stations on a 2,000 mile long route • Telegraph lines allowed for messages to be sent faster • Americans wanted to build a transcontinental railroad (would cross the continent and connect the East to the West)

  20. Transcontinental rr • Federal government passed Pacific Railway Acts • Gave RR companies loans and large land grants that could be sold to pay for construction costs • 131 million acres of public land to RR companies • In exchange, RR had to carry U.S. mail and troops at a lower cost • 2 Companies led the way • Central Pacific began building east from Sacramento, California • Union Pacific started building west from Omaha, Nebraska

  21. Transcontinental rr

  22. Workers • Union Pacific hired RR workers, mostly Irish Immigrants • Central Pacific were mostly made up of Chinese Immigrants (85%) • Paid less than other laborers • Chinese crews given the most dangerous tasks, worked longer hours • Central Pacific paid $30/month, more 10x more than they could earn in China

  23. Central pacific Challenges to building rr • Geographic challenges • Cross Sierra Nevada mountain range in California • Blasting through the rock • Weather Elements • 60 ft. snowdrifts trapped and killed workers • These challenges caused Central Pacific to take 4 years to lay the first 115 miles of track

  24. Union pacific challenges to building rr • Harsh weather on Great Plains • Company pressured workers to work at a rapid pace • Expected to lay 250 miles of track in 6 months

  25. Providing for survival • Provided food and supplies for workers was vital for both companies • Difficult in remote areas • Relied on local resources • Professional hunters, “Buffalo Bill” shot thousands of Buffalo to feed workers

  26. Golden spike • Congress required 2 completed railroad lines to connect at Promontory, Utah • May 10, 1869 golden spike used to connect RR tie joining the two tracks • RR companies continued to build RR lines throughout the west until lines crisscrossed

  27. Golden spike ceremony

  28. Rr brings about change and growth • Increased both economic growth and population growth in the West • Better transportation for people and goods • RR sold land to settlers which encouraged people to move west • New RR’s helped businesses • Goods could be shipped to the east to be sold to the larger populations and industrial sectors of the country • Eastern businesses shipped goods to the West

  29. Rr brings about change and growth • Idea that the U.S. economy was interdependent between regions became more widespread • Time zones were established 1883 • Encouraged people to put their money into the RR • Americans remained interested in RR investments • By 1890 about 164,000 more miles of track in operation than in 1865 • RR had become one of the biggest industries in the U.S.

  30. project • You and a partner can complete this project by creating anything that can display what you have learned in regards to the information that was covered • If you choose to work alone, you can either create something or you can represent what you have learned in an essay • You can use any method that you would like to present the information besides POWER POINT • ThingLink, Timeline JS, Scrapbook, Flip Chart, Information Box, News Broadcast using Green Screen, Poster Presentation, and anything that you might think of • Whatever method you choose, it needs to be approved by me • Your finished product is due no later than AT THE END OF CLASS ON WEDNESDAY MAY 14th, NO EXCEPTIONS

  31. Oil, cattle, railroad booms…..you pick 1 to tell us about • Where was this boom located • What impact did it have on the immediate location in regards to… • Jobs • Housing • Natural resources • Women • Jobs • Economy/growth • What impact did it have on the entire United States? • How long did the boom last? • Did the boom come to an end or drastic decrease? • What caused it • What happened to the surrounding area, did it continue to grow or did it turn into a ghost town • What has it become today?

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