Chapter 13

Settling the West

Miners

Purposes for Western gold, silver, and copper:1. Served industries in the East2. Brought settlers West.

Miners

Two types of mining:1. placer mining- surface

mining using simple tools like shovels, picks, and pans

2. quartz mining- corporate or commercial mining where they dug deep to reach the deposits of ore

Mining and Economics

1. boomtown- community that experienced sudden and rapid population and economic growth due to a mining discovery

Mining and Economics

2. ghost town- when the mines dried up, people left to go to the next strike; deserting the town

Mining and Society

1. vigilance committee- self appointed volunteers that tracked down and punished wrong- doing.

Mining and Society2. Roles of women in the West

A. Property ownersB. Community leadersC. Employment outside the home

i. hurdy-gurdy”- women who would dance with men

for the same price as the price of a drink

ii. cooksiii. laundry

Striking It Rich- Nevada

Henry Comstock- found gray mud that was almost pure silver in Six Mile Canyon, Nevada

Striking It Rich- Colorado1. Pikes Peak- gold deposits

were thought to be there2. Placer miners did not find

anything3. Became Pikes Peak Hoax4. Gold was there- should

have done quartz mining

Striking It Rich- Colorado

Leadville- town was named this because it had huge deposits of lead with silver in it

Striking It Rich- ColoradoThree results of Colorado mining:1. Money- $1 billion in gold and silver2. Railroads- extended through the Rocky Mountains 3. Denver- mining supply point/ 2nd largest city in the West

Striking It Rich- Dakota & Montana

Gold in the Black Hills of Dakota and copper mines of Montana

Caused

Expansion into the Great Plains

Railroads and the Great Plains:

Mining deposit discovered

Miners flood in to strike it rich

Railroad extends to area

More people come in by train to start farms and ranches

Statehood

The Dakotas were divided into North Dakota and South Dakota, and admitted into the Union with Montana.

Ranching and Cattle Drives1. Hardships of the Great Plains

a. lack of waterb. tough prairie grass

2. Texas longhorns- Spanish cattle that adapted to the Great Plains over a hundred year span

Ranching and Cattle DrivesWho introduced cattle ranching in CA,

NM, and TX? Mexicans

open range- vast area of grassland owned by the gov’t

Ranching and Cattle DrivesMexican cowhands developed two things:

a. tools- to be able to do the jobb. techniques- made the job easier

Mexican cowhand terminology adopted by American cowhands

a. lassob. lariat- same as lassoc. stampede

Ranching and Cattle DrivesTwo things that made ranching

profitable:a. Civil Warb. railroad

Chisholm Trail- went from TX to Abilene, Kansas

Ranching and Cattle Driveslong drive- driving cattle long distances to reach

a railroad depot

What time of year did a long drive start? Spring

Where did they get the cattle from? Open range

How were the cowhands able to tell one rancher’s cattle from another’s? brands

Ranching and Cattle DrivesMavericks- stray cows without brands or marks

- Cow hands divided the mavericks up among the ranchers and branded them

The men on the long drive:- ex- Confederates- Hispanics- African Americans (normally ex-slaves)

Ranching and Cattle DrivesRanching Becomes Big Business

1. What would happen to cattle on these long drives? Slaughtered or sold

2. “Range wars”- who was involved and why did they happen?

Farmers, sheep herders, ranchers….fighting over resources (land and water access)3. What two things ended cattle drives?

Barbed wire Eastern and British investors flooded the market

with their cattle- price of cattle plummeted

Ranching and Cattle DrivesDime novels- exaggerated tales of daring

told by cowboys

End Of Section 1 Notes

The Great Plains The Great Plains is the region that

extends westward to the Rocky Mountains and from the Dakotas to Texas.

a. < 20 inches of rain per yearb. The only trees will be found along rivers and streams

The Great Plains Stephen Long–Explored the area in 1819–Called it the Great American

Desert

The Great Plains • The Homestead Act

•$10 registration fee to file for a homestead•Homestead- tract of public land available for settlement•Could apply for up to 160 acres•Had to live there 5 years to receive title to it

The Great Plains The Conditions on the Great Plains

• Lack of trees and water• First houses were made of sod•Water well were 300 feet deep to reach the

water table• 100+ degree summers• Blizzards in winter•Destroyed crops

»Prairie fires»grasshoppers

The Great Plains • The Wheat Belt –Dry farming- plant seeds deep in the

ground for the moisture–Sodbusters- those who plowed (farmed)

the Plains–Wheat Belt- eastern edge of the Plains, the

Dakotas, and western parts of Nebraska and Kansas–Bonanza farm- farms that yielded big

profits

The Great Plains • Hard Times on the Farm 1800’s

•The Wheat Belt allowed the US to become world’s leading exporter of wheat• Late 1800’s brought drought• Farmers mortgaged land to get through•Many lost their farms and moved back

east•Others came to take their place

The Great Plains • Closing the Frontier –Oklahoma Land Rush- 10,000

raced to stake claims in the last territory–The Census Bureau advised there

was no longer a clear line of the frontier

The Great Plains –The loss of the “safety valve of

social discontent” (People in the East had used the safety net of being able to go West if they wanted a new start on life.)

The Great Plains –Many saw it as an end to a chance

for a fresh start.

End of Section 2

Native AmericansCulture of the Plains Indians

a. Communities (farmers/ hunters)

b. nomads- followed the buffalo migrationc. nomads- people who

continually move from place to place, normally in search of food

Native AmericansGoverning Body

a. Indian nations were divided into bands of up to 500 people b. A governing council headed each band, but most members participated in decision making

Native AmericansRoles in society were determined by

gendera. Women- reared children,

cooking, preparing hidesb. Men- hunting, trading,

military life of the band (security)

Native AmericansReligion- based on a belief in the

spiritual power of the natural world.

Native AmericansSequence of events that led to the Sioux Uprising

Miners, ranchers, and farmers moved onto the plains

Native Americans were deprived of their traditional hunting grounds

Americans broke treaties with the Native Americans that

guaranteed them certain lands

Native Americans began attacking wagon train, stagecoaches, and ranches

Sioux uprising in Minnesota (first major clash on the Plains)