Chapter 17 the West Transformed (1860-1896)

Unit 6 – An Age of Industry

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860-1896)

Vocabulary:

tepee-tent made by stretching buffalo skins on tall poles
travois-sled pulled by a dog or horse
corral-enclosure for animals
jerky-dried meat
lode-rich vein of gold, silver or other valuable ore
vigilante-self-appointed enforcer of the law
transcontinental railroad-railroad stretching across the continent
subsidy-financial aid or land grant from the government
cattle drive-herding and moving cattle
vaquero-Spanish or Mexican cow hand
cow town-settlement that grew up at the end of a cattle trail
reservation -limited area set aside for Native Americans
sod house-house built of soil and held together by grass roots
sodbuster-farmer on the Great Plains in the late 1800s
cooperative-group of farmers who pool their money to buy wholesale
wholesale-buying/selling something in large quantities at lower prices
inflation-rise in price and decrease in the value of money
frontier-unsettled or sparsely settled area of the country occupied

largely by Native Americans.

Great Plains-area from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains
boomtown -a town that has a sudden burst of economic or

population growth.

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860-1896)

Section 1 – Mining and Railroading

Obj: transportation and its economic effects; Chinese in the Far West; immigrants in the local communities

Boom in gold and silver
Western mining boom had begun with the California Gold Rush in 1849
When Gold Rush ended, miners looked for new opportunities
Headed east in search of new strikes
1859 – the Sierra Nevada, Henry Comstock became partners with two prospectors who had struck gold on his land, he demanded partnership.
Became known as “The Comstock Lode”
Miners complained of heavy blue substance clogging the devices used to separate the gold
Mexican miners took substance to an expert
Tests shown that “blue stuff” was loaded with silver
Comstock had stumbled onto one of the richest silver mines in the world
Miners discovered gold in many other areas of the west
Gold and silver strikes attracted thousands of prospectors
Towns, became known as boomtowns, sprang up almost overnight
When gold or silver was gone, miners moved away, towns became known as ghost towns
Surge of miners in the West created problems, as did the arrival of cattle ranchers and homesteaders
Mines and towns polluted clear mountain streams
Miners cut down forests to get wood for buildings
Native Americans forced from the land
Foreign miners were treated unfairly
Lawlessness and disorder in towns – no local government
Drinking, gambling, con men (swindlers)
Outlaws (Billy the Kid, The James Brothers, Belle Starr)
This was a time known as the “Wild West”
Vigilantes were organized in response to violence in towns
Tracked down outlaws
Punished them, usually without a trial
Common punishment – lynching
The Railroads –
To the Indians, railroad a terrifying monster (iron horse)
For people of mining towns, it meant supplies, new towns people, and a rapid means of transporting their goods, gold and silver.
1863 – two companies began a race to build the first transcontinental railroad.
The Union Pacific – started building rail line westward from Omaha, Nebraska
The Central Pacific – began in Sacramento, California and built eastward.
Federal government helped the railroad companies because felt it would benefit the entire nation.
Government set up subsidies.
Congress lent money to the railroad companies and gave them land
For every mile of track completed, the railroad companies received twenty sections of land in the states along the route and forty sections per mile in the territories.
By the time the Union Pacific and Central railroads were completed, they had received about 45 million acres of land.
Often, both business and government ignored the fact that Native Americans lived on the land.
May 10, 1869, Leland Stanford, President of the Central Pacific, dropped a solid-gold spike into a pre-drilled hole in the rail, joining the two tracks and uniting the country.
The Nation’s first transcontinental railroad was complete.
The linking created growth, and led to territories applying for statehood.

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860 – 1896)

Section 2 – Native Americans Struggle to Survive

Obj: Westward settlement; different peoples and how they developed their varied cultures

Many different Native American nations lived on the Great Plains.
Plains Indians had rich and varied cultures.
Skilled artists
Well-organized religions
Warrior societies
Each nation had its own language (some used sign language)
Some were farmers
Others were hunters
But, agriculture was their main source of food
After Spain brought horses to the Americas, life changed for the Plains Indians.
After acquiring horses, Indians followed huge herds that foamed their homeland.
Buffalo hunts
Although they hunted deer and elk, they depended on the Buffalo – the main staple for the Plains Indians
Food, shelter and clothing
They began to live in tepees that were carried on travois.
Tradition and Ceremony – many Native American groups met on the Plains and hunted together and attended special events.
Most important religious ceremony was the Sun Dance.
Four-day ceremony thanking the Great Spirit
Women and Men usually had specific roles in Indian society
Women
oversaw the home
gathered food
prepared meals
using buffalo chips (dried manure) as cooking fuel
bones and horns became tools and bowls
made tepees
raised and took down tepees
cared for children and men
passed along the traditions of the people
Men
Hunted
Protected women, children and elders
Passed on valuable skills and knowledge to the boys
Supervised spiritual life of the community
Let religious ceremonies
Provided military leadership
Waged war to defend or extend territory, most importantly to protect their people and to prove respect from the members of their nation.

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860 – 1896)

Section 3 – The Cattle Kingdom

Obj: from cowhands to cow towns and their importance during the cattle booms

Before settlers, the Spanish and Mexicans set up cattle ranches in the Southwest.
Wild cattle, known as longhorns, roamed freely across the grassy plains of Texas
After the Civil War, the demand for beef increased
Miners, railroad crews, farmers and growing communities in the West added to the demand
Texas longhorns perfect for the commercial market
They could travel on far trips on little water
They required no winter feeding
Texas ranchers began rounding up herds and drove them hundreds of miles north to railroad lines, on trips called cattle drives
Jesse Chisholm blazed one of the most famous cattle trails
His route, known as the “Chisholm Trail”, crossed rivers at the best places and passed by water holes.
Ranchers began using the Chisholm Trail in 1867.
Cowhands were employed to tend cattle and drive herds to market
Made up mostly of Confederate Army soldiers
But one of three were either Mexican American or African American
Cattle drive – hot, dirty, tiring and often boring work.
A day could last for nearly 18 hours
Sork so strenuous that cowhands usually brought a number of horses so that each day a fresh one would be available.
Worked in all kinds of weather
Faced many dangers
Prairie dog holes
Rattlesnakes
Fierce thunderstorms
Preventing cattle from drowning while crossing a fast-flowing river
Raging grass fires
Attacks from cattle thieves
Stampedes
Cattle drives ended in cow towns
Cow towns attracted settlers who wanted to build stable communities where families could thrive
1870s – ranching spread north from Texas and across the grassy plains
Soon cattle grazed from Kansas to present-day Montana
Ranchers had built a “CattleKingdom” in the West
Open range
Branding used to identify
Farmers began moving onto the range
Fenced in their fields with barbed wire
As more farmers bought land, open range began to disappear
large grants of land to the railroads also limited open range
Nature imposed limits on the cattle boom
After time, not enough grass to feel all the cattle on the plains
Need to buy feed and land pushed up the costs
Disease would sometimes destroy entire herds
Bitter cold winters
Severe heat and drought in the summers
The Cattle Industry boomed for about 20 years, but there were factors that caused its decline:
Railroads extended farther west and south and drives grew shorter
The price of beef dropped sharply as the supply increased
$30 a head to $7
Newly invented barbed wire had more settlers moving to the Great Plains to farm or raise sheep
Cattle owners began to buy land and fence it in.
The open range disappeared and cattle could no longer pass freely over the trails
Soon farmers and ranchers divided the open range into a patchwork of large fenced plots.
Finally, the winter of 1886-1887 was harsh
Thousands of cattle on the northern Plains froze to death putting many ranchers out of business
The Days of the CattleKingdom were over

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860 – 1896)

Section 4 – The European Heritage

Obj: to recognize how Europeans’ knowledge of the world prior to the 1500s was based on maps and primary sources, and how they felt superiority over the Native Americans

1830s – the federal government first forced Native American tribes of the SE to move west of the Mississippi in Indian Territory
This territory was a huge area including almost all of the land between the Missouri River and Oregon Territory.
Treaties promised that this land would remain theirs “as long as grass grows or water runs”
Unfortunately, these treaty promises would be broken
Originally thought to be too dry for farming that the white settlers would have no interest
As wagon trains bound for Oregon and California crossed the Plains (1850s), some pioneers saw farming and ranching possibilities on its grasslands.
White settlers soon moved onto the prairies
Late 1840s/early 1850s – settlers and miners asked for government protection from the Indians.
Government built a string of forts to protect them
1851 – government officials met with Indian nations (Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other Plains tribes) near Fort Laramie in present-day Wyoming.
Officials asked each nation to keep a limited area
In return, they promised Indians money, domestic animals, agricultural tools and other goods.
Officials told the Native Americans that the lands were reserved for them would be theirs forever
Native American leaders agreed to the terms – The Fort Laramie Treaty
Some Cheyenne and Sioux resisted
Cheyenne warriors attacked miners and soldiers
Some Native Americans refused to accept the agreement
They attacked white settlers
Settlers struck back – The Chivington (San Creek) Massacre – John Chivington led his militia against a Cheyenne village whose leaders had come to a fort asking for protection.
Indians raised white flag of surrender and the US flag.
Chivington ignored flag and ordered his men to destroy the village
More than 200 men, women and children were slaughtered.
Across the plains, soldiers and Indians went to war
1866 – Fetterman Massacre – Captain W.J. Fetterman and 80 troops ambushed by the Sioux in retaliation to Chivington.
1858 – Fort Laramie Treaty was broken when gold was found in Pike’s Peak
Federal officials forced Indian leaders to sign a new treaty giving up the land around Pikes Peak
Buffalo becoming scarce as well
1868 – federal officials established a peace commission to urge Native Americans to end the wars, settle down and live as white farmers did.
Kiowa, Comanche and other southern Plains Indians signed new treaty (the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie)
They promised to move to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma
Soil there was poor
Most Plains Indians were hunters not farmers
Did not like treaty but knew they had no choice
Lakota and Arapaho on the northern Plains also signed a treaty
Agreed to live on reservations in present-day South Dakota
Plains Indians suffered from lost battles and broken treaties
Even worse, destruction of the buffalo
1874 – gold found in Black Hills region of Lakota (Sioux) reservation.
Miners rushed there, which was land that the government had promised to the Cheyenne and Arapahos.
Indians, Sitting Bulls, Crazy Horse and other Lakota chiefs, fought back in what became known as the Sioux War of 1876

June 1876 – Colonel George A. Custer let a soldiers into the Little Bighorn Valley.
600 men under Custer’s command prepared to attack
Indian scouts warned Custer that there were many Lakota and Cheyenne camped ahead.
Nearly 1,000 warriors awaited Custer and his men
Custer divided his troops and attacked with only 225 men
Custer and all of his men died in the Battle of Little Bighorn
Afterward, Congress ordered that no food rations be distributed to the Indians until Indians agreed to the government’s demands.
To avoid starvation, Lakota gave up most claims to the Black Hills and other territory.
They surrendered about one third of the lands that the US government had guaranteed them with the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1851
In the arid lands of the Southwest, the Apache fiercely resisted the loss of their lands
Geronimo, a leader, continued fighting the longest
1876 – he assumed leadership when the government tried to force his people onto a reservation
He waged war off and on for the next 10 years
He surrendered in 1886, and this marked the end of formal warfare between the Indians and Whites
Nez Perce tribe in the NW (eastern Oregon and Idaho) forced off their land
1877 – Chief Joseph and his followers fled to Canada for refuge and after four months of traveling over 1000 miles of terrain, army troops in pursuit caught up to them just 40 miles from the Canadian border – they surrendered
1863 – SW (Navajos and Apaches) Trail of Tears was a result after they fought against being removed to reservations, but were overpowered by US troops.
A 300 mile walk from Arizona to New Mexico
Many of the 8,000 did not survive the “Long Walk”

Many Indians lost their way of life
On reservations, many turned to religious ceremony called the Ghost Dance
It celebrated the time when Native Americans lived freely on the Plains
Many settlers grew alarmed and said the Native Americans were preparing for war and called for the Ghost Dance to be outlawed
1890 – police officers entered a Lakota reservation to arrest Sitting Bull, in the struggle that followed, Sitting Bull was accidentally shot and killed.
Upset by Sitting Bull’s death, groups of Lakota fled the reservations.
Army troops followed them to Wounded Knee Creek (present-day South Dakota)
December 29, Indians prepared to surrender
Nervous troops
Indians prepared to give up guns
A shot rang out
Army opened fire
Nearly 300 Native American men, women and children lay dead
25 soldiers had also died.
The incident at Wounded Knee marked the end of the Ghost Dance Religion
No longer able to resist the government, during the late 1800s, more Indians were forced onto reservations.
1887 – Dawes Act – reform that encouraged Native Americans to become farmers
To assimilate them, and Americanize them.
Dawes Act unsuccessful
Native Americans often sold their shares of land to whites for low prices
Life on the reservations changed Native American culture.
By the end of the 1800s
The federal government took away the power of Indian leaders
Their lands had been taken
Their culture treated with contempt
Their lifestyle was of no importance to the white man
In their place, it appointed government agents to make most decisions

Chapter 17 – The West Transformed (1860 – 1896)

Section 4 – The European Heritage

Obj: to recognize how Europeans’ knowledge of the world prior to the 1500s was based on maps and primary sources, and how they felt superiority over the Native Americans

1830s – the federal government first forced Native American tribes of the SE to move west of the Mississippi in Indian Territory
This territory was a huge area including almost all of the land between the Missouri River and Oregon Territory.
Treaties promised that this land would remain theirs “as long as grass grows or water runs”
Unfortunately, these treaty promises would be broken
Originally thought to be too dry for farming that the white settlers would have no interest
As wagon trains bound for Oregon and California crossed the Plains (1850s), some pioneers saw farming and ranching possibilities on its grasslands.
White settlers soon moved onto the prairies
Late 1840s/early 1850s – settlers and miners asked for government protection from the Indians.
Government built a string of forts to protect them
1851 – government officials met with Indian nations (Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other Plains tribes) near Fort Laramie in present-day Wyoming.
Officials asked each nation to keep a limited area
In return, they promised Indians money, domestic animals, agricultural tools and other goods.
Officials told the Native Americans that the lands were reserved for them would be theirs forever
Native American leaders agreed to the terms – The Fort Laramie Treaty
Some Cheyenne and Sioux resisted
Cheyenne warriors attacked miners and soldiers
Some Native Americans refused to accept the agreement
They attacked white settlers
Settlers struck back – The Chivington (San Creek) Massacre – John Chivington led his militia against a Cheyenne village whose leaders had come to a fort asking for protection.
Indians raised white flag of surrender and the US flag.
Chivington ignored flag and ordered his men to destroy the village
More than 200 men, women and children were slaughtered.
Across the plains, soldiers and Indians went to war
1866 – Fetterman Massacre – Captain W.J.