CHAPTER 2
SETTLING THE WEST
VOCABULARY
• Allotment
• Assimilate
• Barrios
• Bonanza Farming
• Dry Farming
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Haciendas
Homestead
Nomads
Open Range
Sod Buster
1. Define each word
2. Write a sentence that uses each term in a
chapter appropriate manner
MINERS AND RANCHERS
• Demand for minerals will rise during Industrial Revolution
• Mountains of the West were full of minerals and RR’s
made it possible to get ore back East
• BOOMTOWNS
• News of the “COMSTOCK LODE” in Nevada drew a flood of
“prospectors” to Virginia City. (from a few to 30,000 in 3 months)
• So many people came out to stake their claim and strike it rich
that Nevada will quickly be added as a state
• Many times over, a major strike would be found and a town and
all that goes with it would spring up almost overnight
• Boomtowns were crazy places, with few laws to govern the
mostly single male population (vigilance committees)
• When mine went dry, the boomtown would bust. All the people
would leave for the next big strike
MINING LEADS TO STATEHOOD
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Nevada – Comstock Lode
Colorado – Pikes Peak
California – ’49ers
South Dakota – Black Hills
Idaho – Kelloge/Wallace
MINING TECHNOLOGY
• Early mining was a 1 man job (pick, shovel, pan).
This was called PLACER MINING
• To increase chances, sluice mining began
• When surface deposits ran out, hydraulic mining
began. This was expensive but effective
CHANGES TO THE LAND
• Hydraulic mining had devastating effects on the
environment
Tons of silt, debris washed into rivers causing flooding
Flooding ruined farm lands down stream
Mining companies sued for damages
Congress will eventually pass a law that would only allow
hydraulic mining if the company had a place to store the
debris it created
• Most companies moved to drilling (most common today)
which dug deep into the ground and extracted minerals
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RANCHING AND CATTLE DRIVES
• The lure of the Great Plains brought another type of
adventurer out west.
• The middle of the US was wide open plains
• This attracted ranchers who wanted to raise cattle
• Open Range laws meant ranchers could graze their
herds for free
• A rancher could, in 3-5 years, grow his herd to a
very profitable level
LONG DRIVES
Before Civil War, it was difficult to make much money ranching
War brought a huge demand for meat, $$$ big profits $$$
Railroads became how cattle were moved to market
To move herds from the Great Plains, LONG DRIVES drove huge
herds to rail heads
• Cowboys might drive herds of 2-5,000 cattle (good pay)
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• OPEN RANGE ENDS
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Sheep Herders and Farmers will bring the open range to an end
Farmers fenced their lands to protect their crops
Sheep herders and cattle ranchers competed for range land (battles)
Bad economy and a horrendous winter broke many ranchers
From 1880’s on, ranching done on fenced-in ranches
SETTLING THE HISPANIC SOUTHWEST
• Southwest US used to be part of Mexico (1848)
• By treaty, residents kept land and could become US citizens
• Society was dominated by wealthy landowners who owned vast lands
called HACIENDAS (1,000’s of acres)
• California Gold Rush (49ers) brought 10’s of 1,000’s to California
• Newcomers now outnumbers Hispanic Californians
• this caused tensions
• As California became a state, many elected positions held by Hispanics
• As time went on, newcomers began pushing Hispanics out (of power, off
lands, jobs)
• American courts backed the newcomers
• One area where Hispanic contributions were honored was in ranching
• VAQUEROS – spanish for cowboys – were masters at their jobs
CLASHES/COMPROMISES IN THE SW
• Great demand for meat meant expansion of ranching
• Clashes over who controlled the lands became common
• New Mexico – white ranchers tried to fence in land that had long been used
for community grazing. Las Gorras Blancas (the white hats) rode in and tore
down the fences
• California – as population increased, even more hispanic workers from
Mexico came. In cities like Los Angeles, these immigrants would settle
together in neighborhoods called barrios
• Residents spoke spanish, businesses spoke spanish, newspapers in spanish
• “No class of American citizens is more loyal than the Spanish Californians, but we shall
always be especially proud . . . To honor the founders of our ancient families, and the
saints and heroes of our history since the days when Father Junipero planted the cross at
Monterey.”
quoted in Foreigners in Their Native Lands
FARMING THE PLAINS
THE BEGINNINGS OF SETTLEMENT
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The Great Plains population steadily grew after the Civil War
Very tough conditions (winter, summer, storms, insects)
Lands had never been “broken”, tough to plow/plant
Water tough to find (maybe 100 feet deep)
Railroads will bring a huge increase in settlers
Homestead Act of 1862 - It provided for the transfer of 160 acres of
unoccupied public land to each homesteader on payment of a nominal fee after five
years of residence; land could also be acquired after six months of residence at $1.25 an
acre.
THE WHEAT BELT
• New farming methods/inventions improved agriculture
• Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 – each state was provided
30,000 acres to sell for funds to build colleges focused on agriculture and the
mechanical arts
• Dry Farming – plant seed DEEP in ground where there was water
• Steel plows, threshing machines, seed drills and reapers
• “Sodbusters” – original farmers who broke the soil – often lost
their farms due to weather/insects or poor use of their lands
• Bonanza Farms – large landholders who bought up failing farms
to maximize their profits
• Could afford expensive machinery to plant/harvest crops
• Would grow a single cash crop (to be sold for profit)
• Formed companies, invested in properties and equipment, hired laborers
TOUGH TIMES
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Drought in the 1880’s will destroy crops and turn soil to dust
Prices crash (due to foreign competition and deflation)
Farmers forced to borrow money to get through hard times
If they failed to make payments, the banks repossessed farms/land
Often stayed on land to work at “tenant farmers”
OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH – Last open frontier
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1,000’s come out to stake their claim
Many feared the end of the frontier – no more safety valve
The West came to be a place where you could start over and that was at an end
Many did make it, despite all the obstacles
* Self-sufficient – grew food, meat needed to live and thrive in the West
STRUGGLES OF THE PLAINS INDIANS
• Great Plains Native Americans were NOMADS
• Many bands/tribes roamed around the Great Plains following
the buffalo – their source of food
• Settlers deprived Native Americans of their hunting grounds,
broke treaties and usually forced them to relocate
• Native Americans resisted by attacking the settlers’ property
and occasionally going to war with them
DAKOTA SIOUX UPRISING
• In exchange for moving onto the reservation, the Dakota
Sioux were promised ANNUITIES (which often were not
received)
• The Dakota Sioux lived in poverty. Local traders would not
give them food or supplies on credit so they starved
• To protest, the Dakota rebelled, killing hundreds of settlers
• 300 were sentenced to death, but President Lincoln reduced
that to 38 after seeing the evidence
• Many fled the reservation and became exiles in the territory
eventually named for them
OTHER CONFLICTS
• Use your book (p. 84-87). Read about each of the
conflict below. Write notes on the circle on your
handout
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Red Cloud’s War
Sand Creek Massacre
Battle of Little Bighorn
Flight of the Nez Perce
Wounded Knee
RED CLOUD’S WAR
• Red Cloud’s War – Lakota Sioux who won control of
their territory from other tribes
• Chiefs were Red Cloud, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull
• Crazy Horse tricked Army into sending out a group to pursue
a raiding party, but they were waiting in ambush
• Hundreds of warriors wiped out small military group
• For the next 2 years, the Lakota attacked and eventually,
the Army retreated
SAND CREEK MASSACRE (CO)
• Tensions between miners and Cheyenne/Arapaho
• Natives began raiding wagon trains as the number
of settlers increased (near 200 settlers killed)
• Governor persuaded Natives to surrender with
promise of food and shelter (some chose not to)
• Once in camp, Natives were brutally murdered in
fight that lasted a few days. A few soldiers and
from 60 – 600 Native Americans were killed
DOOMED PEACE PLAN
• Amid bloodshed, Congress will take action
• Indian Peace Commission formed (made proposals)
• 2 reservations on the Great Plains (Sioux and Other)
• Federal Agents would run reservations
• Commission could not ensure either side would live by
agreements signed
• Poverty, despair and corrupt agents created unbearable
conditions for those on reservation
BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN
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Gold was discovered in the Black Hills (reservation)
Miners and settlers moved in (breaking treaty)
Many Lakota decide to leave (breaking treaty)
The government sent troops to round them up, led by
General George Custer
Custer underestimated fighting skills of Lakota
Ignoring orders, Custer launched a 3 prong attack
Was surprised by huge number of warriors
Warriors killed all 200 of Custer’s troop
Media portrayed Custer as a victim of ambush, pushing
government to hunt down Lakota warriors
Sitting Bull and many warriors fled to Canada and the
Lakota were forced back onto the reservation
FLIGHT OF THE NEZ PERCE
• Chief Joseph refused to move his people to reservation,
but Army came to force them to move
• A few warriors were outraged and attacked
• To protect his people, Chief Joseph and his tribe fled
• For more than 1,300 miles, the Nez Perce will flee, being
chased by the Army
• Several battles occurred along the way
• Just 20 miles short of Canada, the Army finally closes in
• Chief Joseph surrenders, is seen as great leader of his
people and victim of government pursuit
I WILL FIGHT NO MORE FOREVER
• “Our chiefs are killed . . . The little children are freezing
to death. My people . . . have no blankets, no food .
. . Hear me my chiefs, I am tired, my heart is sick and
sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no
more forever.”
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Chief
TRAGEDY AT WOUNDED KNEE
• Native American resistance will come to an end on
the Lakota Reservation in 1890
• Lakotas defied government orders and continued
to practice the “GHOST DANCE”, a ritual
celebrating hope their way would return
• Sitting Bull blamed for defiance and was arrested
• His supporters tried to block the arrest and the fight
was on
• Army chased the GHOST DANCERS
• The tragedy cost 25 soldiers their lives and around
200 Lakota men, women and children their lives
THE DAWES ACT
• Many Americans OPPOSED the treatment of Native
Americans. “A Century of Dishonor” by Helen Hunt
Jackson detailed injustices and broken promises
• Some believed the solutions was to get the Native
Americans to ASSIMILATE
• 1887 – Congress passed the DAWES ACT
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Divided reservation land into allotments for farming/ranching
Each head of household was ALLOTTED 160 acres (+40/child)
Any remaining lands would be sold to settlers
Citizenship would be granted to Native Americans who stayed
on their allotments for 25 years
GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
• Act failed – some succeed as farmers/ranchers, but
most did not. Leased or sold their lands to settlers
• Broke the cultural tribal bonds for many tribes
• Native Americans became solely dependent on gov’t for food,
shelter, clothing, fuel, housing
• 1924 – Congress passed the CITIZENSHIP ACT
• All Native Americans granted citizenship (both as a US citizen and a
citizen of their own tribe)
• 1934 – Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act
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reversing the Dawes Act
Restored some reservation lands
Gave Native Americans control over those lands
Allowed them to elect their own government
CHAPTER ASSESSMENT
• P 88
• Answer questions 1-9, 11, 12
• Write an essay for EITHER 14 OR 17