Section 19.1: Miners, Ranchers, and Cowhands Today’s Essential Question: How did the geography and natural resources of the West determine how its people

Section 19.1: Miners, Ranchers, and Cowhands

Section 19.1: Miners, Ranchers, and Cowhands

Today’s Essential Question: How did the geography and natural resources of the West determine how its people earned their living?

Today’s Essential Question: How did the geography and natural resources of the West determine how its people earned their living?

Vocabulary

• frontier – the boundary between civiliza-tion and wilderness

• boomtown – town that grows dramatic-ally in a short time

• vaquero – a Mexican cowboy• prospector – person looking for valuable

minerals, like gold or silver• vigilante – unofficial crime fighter

Check for Understanding

• What are we going to do today?• How does a vaquero get to work?• What does a prospector hope to find?• Why is living on the frontier dangerous?• Is Batman a vigilante? (Explain)

What We Already Know

Americans had begun moving

west across the Great Plains in large numbers

since the 1830s.

Americans had begun moving

west across the Great Plains in large numbers

since the 1830s.

What We Already Know

The California gold rush attracted millions of people to the West Coast in 1849.

The California gold rush attracted millions of people to the West Coast in 1849.

What We Already KnowWhat We Already Know

Americans had settled in Texas and had helped

make it part of the United States in 1845.

Americans had settled in Texas and had helped

make it part of the United States in 1845.

One American’s Story• Nat Love – born a slave in

Tennessee in 1854; left the South and went west

• As a cowhand, he became well known for his expert horsemanship and rodeo skills.

• In his 1907 autobiography, Love offered a lively but exaggerated account of his life.

• Few cowhands led lives as exciting as thatdescribed by Nat Love, but they all helped to open a new chapter in the history of the American West.

Geography and Population of the West


Places such as St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri, were the last cities and towns before the frontier.

Places such as St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri, were the last cities and towns before the frontier.



• Most white people considered the Great Plains an empty desert.

• Few had been attracted to its rolling plains, dry plateaus, and harsh deserts.

However, settlers had followed miners streaming into California after the 1849 gold

rush.

By 1850, California had gained statehood. Oregon followed in 1859.

The Great Plains had few trees, but its grasslands were home to about 300,000

Native Americans in the mid-1800s.

The Great Plains had few trees, but its grasslands were home to about 300,000

Native Americans in the mid-1800s.

Most Plains Indian bands followed the buffalo herds that rumbled

across the open plains.

Despite the presence of these peoples, the United States claimed ownership of the area.

Trains carried minerals, timber, crops, and cattle to eastern

markets, and brought miners, ranchers, and farmers to the West.

Railroads played a key role in settling the western United States.

Railroads played a key role in settling the western United States.

As the railroads opened new areas to white settlement, they also helped end the way of life of the West’s first settlers – the Native

Americans.

As the railroads opened new areas to white settlement, they also helped end the way of life of the West’s first settlers – the Native

Americans.

Get your whiteboards and markers ready!

Why were few people been interested in settling on the Great Plains before

the Civil War?

A. It was already the home of several powerful American Indian groups.

B. The presence of so many buffalo made farming impossible.

C. It was so dry and treeless that most people considered it a desert.

D. The government had banned settle-ment west of the Mississippi River.

What is the frontier?

Where the end of civilization meets the beginning of wilderness

76. How did the transcontinental railroad spur Western settlement?

A. Carrying natural resources of the West to the East

B. Providing jobs for settlers in railroad construction

C. Bringing new settlers from the East to the West

D. transporting soldiers west to fight the Indians

Choose all that are true!

Mining in the WestMining in the West

In 1859, gold and silver strikes drew as many as 100,000 miners to the Rocky Mountains in

Colorado.

In 1859, gold and silver strikes drew as many as 100,000 miners to the Rocky Mountains in

Colorado.


The same year, Comstock Lode in western Nevada produced some $300 million in silver and gold.

The same year, Comstock Lode in western Nevada produced some $300 million in silver and gold.

Any settlement near an ore strike became a boomtown, a town that has a sudden burst of economic

or population growth.

Any settlement near an ore strike became a boomtown, a town that has a sudden burst of economic

or population growth.


• Gold fever also attracted miners from other parts of the world, including Europe, South America, Mexico, and China.

• Few prospectors became rich, and most left disappointed and broke.

Small-scale miners could not afford water cannons to blast away hillsides to expose gold

deposits, or the equipment needed to sink shafts thousands

of feet into the ground.

Over time, large mining companies replaced

individual prospectors.

Over time, large mining companies replaced

individual prospectors.

Results of Western Mining

• Hillsides were stripped of vegetation and rivers were left polluted.

• Once-thriving communities became ghost towns.

• Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota all grew so rapidly that they soon gained statehood.

• Hillsides were stripped of vegetation and rivers were left polluted.

• Once-thriving communities became ghost towns.

• Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota all grew so rapidly that they soon gained statehood.


Why did large mining companies eventually replace individual

prospectors?A. Individual miners could not afford the

equipment needed to make mining profitable.

B. The mining companies bought up the smaller individual claims.

C. The government would only send troops to protect the larger mining sites for Indian attacks, leaving prospectors defenseless.

D. Prospectors couldn’t afford to pay the high taxes placed on mining income by the government.

77. Why did the mining boom end?

A. The costs of operating them had become too high.

B. Too many miners left to work in the oil fields.

C. The Indian threat frightened too many mine workers away.

D. Ranching was easier and much more profitable.

Rise of the Cattle Industry

The cattle trade had existed in the

Southwest since the 1500s, but cattle herds

remained small until the Civil War.

The cattle trade had existed in the

Southwest since the 1500s, but cattle herds

remained small until the Civil War.


With no efficient way to get the beef to markets in the more heavily populated cities of the East, ranchers mostly sold

their cattle locally.

With no efficient way to get the beef to markets in the more heavily populated cities of the East, ranchers mostly sold

their cattle locally.


An Illinois livestock dealer named Joseph McCoy realized that railroads could bring cattle from Texas ranches to meat-hungry Eastern cities.

An Illinois livestock dealer named Joseph McCoy realized that railroads could bring cattle from Texas ranches to meat-hungry Eastern cities.


By the 1860s, railroad lines were extended

from Chicago and St. Louis into Kansas.

By the 1860s, railroad lines were extended

from Chicago and St. Louis into Kansas.

Rise of the Cattle IndustryCowhands had only to drive cattle herds

north from Texas to his stockyards in Abilene, Kansas.

From there, the beef could be shipped to Chicago and

points east by rail car.

Rise of the Cattle IndustryRise of the Cattle Industry

Cattle fed on the open range for a year or two and ranchers then hired cowhands to round up the cattle and take them to Abilene, where they were sold for

as much as ten times their original price.

Cattle fed on the open range for a year or two and ranchers then hired cowhands to round up the cattle and take them to Abilene, where they were sold for

as much as ten times their original price.

The success of the Abilene stockyards spurred the growth of other Kansas cow towns, including

Wichita and Dodge City.

The success of the Abilene stockyards spurred the growth of other Kansas cow towns, including

Wichita and Dodge City.



• Cowhands followed specific trails across the plains, such as the Chisholm Trail, which stretched from San Antonio to Abilene.

• From 1867 to 1884, about four million cattle were driven to market on this trail.

• As cattle raising became more profitable, ranching spread north across the plains from Texas to Montana.


• The first cowhands were vaqueros, who had developed in Spanish Mexico in the 1500s.

• From the vaquero, the American cowhand learned to rope and ride.

• Cowhands also adapted the saddle, spurs, lariat, and chaps of the vaqueros.


About one in three

cowhands in the West was

either Mexican or African American.

About one in three

cowhands in the West was

either Mexican or African American.

Also among the cow-hands were a large number of former Civil War soldiers.


Before the mid-1800s, why were beef cattle only sold locally in Texas?

A. Consumers in the East didn’t trust the quality of Texas beef.

B. There was no way to ship the beef cattle from Texas to other markets.

C. Before the mid-1800s, beef was not a popular meat on most tables.

D. Government regulations didn’t permit meat and poultry to be sold across state lines.

How did Joseph McCoy change the history of the West?

A. He invented the repeating rifle, which helped bring about the defeat of the Indians.

B. He invented barbed wire, which ended the open range and made farming possible on the plains.

C. He came up with the idea of driving cattle from Texas ranches up to Kansas railroad towns for shipment to Eastern cities.

D. He developed the idea of vigilante justice, which brought law and order to towns without official sheriffs or marshals.

78. What helped the cattle industry to grow?

A. The Plains Indians were all defeated and forced to move onto reservations.

B. Railroad lines were built linking Kansas with Chicago and St. Louis.

C. The mining boom ended in 1882.

D. Barbed wire was invented in 1882.

Who were the first American cowhands?

A. Civil war veterans

B. Former slaves

C. European immigrants

D. Mexican vaqueros

At first, cow towns had no local governments.

At first, cow towns had no local governments.

The “Wild West”The “Wild West”

There were no law officers to handle the fights that broke out as cowhands drank

and gambled after a long drive.

There were no law officers to handle the fights that broke out as cowhands drank

and gambled after a long drive.


A more serious threat to law and order came from

con men, who saw the new towns as places to

get rich quick by cheating others.

A more serious threat to law and order came from

con men, who saw the new towns as places to

get rich quick by cheating others.


J.R. “Soapy” Smith

The “Wild West”

• Outlaws like “Billy the Kid” and Jesse and Frank James made crime a way of life.

• Some women, such as Belle Starr, became outlaws, too.

• Outlaws like “Billy the Kid” and Jesse and Frank James made crime a way of life.

• Some women, such as Belle Starr, became outlaws, too.

The “Wild West”

For protection, citizens formed

vigilante groups, taking the law into their own hands.

For protection, citizens formed

vigilante groups, taking the law into their own hands.

The “Wild West”

Vigilante justice often consisted

of hanging suspects from

the nearest tree or shooting them on the spot, so it was common for innocent people

to be unjustly executed.

Vigilante justice often consisted

of hanging suspects from

the nearest tree or shooting them on the spot, so it was common for innocent people

to be unjustly executed.

The “Wild West”

As towns became more settled, vigilantes were replaced by elected sheriffs and federal marshals, who would arrest lawbreakers and hold them in jail

until the time of trial.

As towns became more settled, vigilantes were replaced by elected sheriffs and federal marshals, who would arrest lawbreakers and hold them in jail

until the time of trial.


Why did Westerners form vigilante groups?

A. They didn’t want to become dependent on the government for protection.

B. There were no authorized government officials in their vicinity for them to call on.

C. Taking the law into their own hands made them feel self-reliant.

D. The towns were to poor to be able to pay for real law enforcement officials.

What did vigilante justice look like?

A. Posse made up of private citizens

B. Active participation by sheriffs or marshals

C. Accused people locked up until trial

D. Swift execution by hanging or shooting

E. Great care exercised to protect the rights of the accused

F. Innocent people unjustly punished


End of the Long Drives

In 1886, the price of beef dropped sharply as the

supply increased.

In 1886, the price of beef dropped sharply as the

supply increased.


More farmers moved in to farm or raise sheep, fencing in their lands

with barbed wire, and the open range disappeared.

More farmers moved in to farm or raise sheep, fencing in their lands

with barbed wire, and the open range disappeared.


In the harsh winter of 1886–1887, thousands of cattle froze to death and

many ranchers were put out of business.

In the harsh winter of 1886–1887, thousands of cattle froze to death and

many ranchers were put out of business.

Meanwhile, as the mining and cattle industries were developing, the Native Americans of the Great Plains were being pushed off their land.

Meanwhile, as the mining and cattle industries were developing, the Native Americans of the Great Plains were being pushed off their land.


75. What economic activities drew large numbers of people to the West

beginning in the 1860s?

A. oil drilling

B. mining

C. ranching

D. farming

E. manufacturing


79. What factors led to the end of the cattle boom?

A. The price of beef dropped as the supply grew.

B. Buffalo were competing with the cattle for food on the prairie.

C. The use of barbed wire by farmers closed the open range.

D. The severe winter of 1886-87 destroyed a large percentage of the cattle herds.

E. Raids by vaqueros and vigilantes made ranching too dangerous.


Documents

Section 19.1: Miners, Ranchers, and Cowhands Today’s Essential Question: How did the geography and natural resources of the West determine how its people