Chapter 18

The Last Frontier

Riches in the West

• Gold strikes caused a huge migration westward

• Each prospector was looking to find a rich lode, or deposit, of precious metal

• James Finney and Harry Comstock found one in Nevada and the Comstock Lode gave them more than $400 million worth or precious metals

Riches in the West

• Two soldiers in South Dakota found an area with a huge amount of gold. This land had just been given to the Indians but the government took it back and the Homestake Mine became the world’s richest single gold mine

Silver and the Currency System

• The government went on the gold system which caused the price of silver to plummet

• Due to complaints, Congress passed the Bland-Allison Act which made 16 ounces of silver equal to 1 ounce of gold

Cattle Trails

• As the railroad expanded, it began to be used to ship cattle

• The Chisholm Trail became the busiest trail to bring cattle on. Indians charged a grazing tax and farmers put fences up

• The Goodnight-Loving Trail also became an important trail for western markets

The Cattle Drive

• The trail boss was paid the most and was in charge of the men, equipment and animals

• About 8 cowboys were hired to ride in front of, beside, and behind the herd

• A cook was also hired to ride ahead and have food ready

• A wrangler was the youngest and was responsible for caring for the horses and equipment

Meatpacking Industry

• Philip Armour and Gustavus Swift made this industry successful

• They came up with ways to get the most possible meat from the animals

• Armour used bones and hide as by-products. These were turned into soap, glue, buttons, fertilizer, shoes, and gloves

The Homesteaders

• The government issued the Homestead Act to encourage settlement

• This gave 160 acres to settlers who would live on the land for 5 years

• The government hoped to improve the economy by doing this

The Oklahoma Land Rush

• During the resettlement of the Indians, 5 tribes had been moved to Indian Territory in Oklahoma

• Many wanted this land for white settlers and they had a celebration to open the land for settlement

• Cannons signaled the opening of the land. • Sooners were settlers who had jumped the gun

Overcoming Obstacles

• Trees were scarce so many the sod house became more practical. Objects often fell from the roof so nets were used to catch them

• The windmill began to be used to help settlers bring water to the surface and use this on crops

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Help for Farmers

• Farmers wanted to protect their land from cattle and were helped when Joseph Glidden created barbed wire

• Other areas of help were the windmill, the railroad and improved farming machinery

Hardships

• Settlers had to deal with huge dust storms, prairie fires, hailstorms, tornadoes and clouds of locusts

• Communication with the outside world was difficult so the post office began rural free delivery to reduce the cost of mail

• The Grange also formed which promoted the interests of farmers

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War with Indians

• The US made treaties with the Indians but constantly violated them

• This caused the Indians to fight back and the US Army to destroy villages

• George Armstrong Custer attacked Sioux warriors led by Crazy Horse

• Sitting Bull prepared the Indians by telling of his visions

Surrender

• Even peaceful tribes were forced onto different land

• Chief Joseph tried to flee to Canada but was captured and soon nearly all Indians were on reservations, land set aside for them

• Geronimo was one of the last holdouts• Indians who did not resist were made wards and

were paid and cared for by the government

The Dawes Act

• The government passed the Dawes Act to Americanize the Indians

• They ended tribal unions and gave 160 acres to each head of a household

• This failed because the land that was given to them could not grow crops and the Indians were not farmers anyway