Chapter
17 Section 1
Objectives
• Explain how the discovery of gold and silver
affected the West.
• Describe life in the western mining towns.
• Examine how railroads spread and helped the
West to develop.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Terms and People
• vigilante – self-appointed law keeper
• subsidy – grant of land or money
• transcontinental railroad – railroad line that
spanned the continent
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
How did mining and railroads draw
people to the West?
In 1865, the American frontier stretched from
the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
west
Drawn by hopes for
a new life, people
moved west by the
thousands.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Gold!
The California gold rush of 1849 captured the
American imagination.
Before long, miners were racing into the
Sierra Nevada, the Rockies, and the Black
Hills, searching for gold.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
In 1859, prospectors struck gold at a find that
became known as the Comstock Lode.
• located in Sierra Nevada
Comstock
Lode
• contained both gold and silver
• was one of the world’s richest
silver mines
• made Nevada a center of mining
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
After the Civil War ended, more and more
prospectors rushed west. New discoveries
seemed to be popping up everywhere.
Alaska
Montana
Idaho
Mining and Railroads
Colorado
South
Dakota
Chapter
17 Section 1
With each new find, miners rushed to the site.
Others soon followed, bringing supplies and
opening stores. Mining camps quickly grew from
tent cities to boomtowns.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
People from around the world poured into
the boomtowns.
Nearly half of the miners were foreign-born, from
places such as Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, and
China.
Women, too, joined the mining boom, making
money by opening restaurants and other
businesses.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Few prospectors, however, struck it rich. Mining
underground was difficult and expensive. Many miners
eventually sold their claims to large mining companies.
Profits
Profits
Profits
Profits
Profits
prospectors
Profits
Profits
Profits
Profits
Profits
mining companies
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Many boomtowns grew so fast that they had no
real government. Vigilantes often imposed their
own form of justice.
As populations
grew, some
areas organized
into territories
subject to U.S.
laws.
Mining and Railroads
U.S. Territories
Colorado
Dakota
Nevada
Arizona
Idaho
Montana
Chapter
17 Section 1
The mining boom helped create a railroad
boom.
Before 1860, railroad lines ended at the
Mississippi River.
To encourage westward expansion, the
government gave subsidies to the railroads to
build new tracks.
west
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Many of the new
lines led to the
boomtowns of
the West.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
The railroads also began work to fulfill a
longtime goal—to build a transcontinental
railroad that would stretch from coast to
coast.
Two railroads won the right to build from opposite
directions, eventually meeting in the middle.
Central
Pacific
Mining and Railroads
Union
Pacific
Chapter
17 Section 1
The Central Pacific headed east from Sacramento.
The Union Pacific headed west from Omaha.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Bad weather and the rugged terrain made work difficult
and dangerous.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
It took thousands of workers and many years to
complete the job.
Laborers came
from many
countries around
the world—
including China.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
Finally, on May 10, 1869, the two lines met
at Promontory, Utah.
Mining and Railroads
Chapter
17 Section 1
The new railroad lines brought even more settlers
west.
Several new
states were soon
carved from the
rapidly growing
region.
Mining and Railroads
Nevada
1864
Colorado
1876
North Dakota
1889
South Dakota
1889
Montana
1889
Washington
1889
Idaho
1890
Wyoming
1890
Chapter
17 Section 1
Section Review
QuickTake Quiz
Mining and Railroads
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