REASON FOR WESTWARD EXPANSION

REASON FOR WESTWARD EXPANSION • • • •

Opportunities for land ownership A new beginning for former slaves Technological advances Possibility of wealth created by the discovery of gold and silver • Adventure

REASON 1&2 Opportunities for land ownership and new opportunities for former slaves

How did people’s perceptions and use of the Great Plains change after the Civil War?

Before 1860, those who crossed the Mississippi generally traveled all the way to the west coast. Few settled in the Great Plains.

Physical features/climate of the Great Plains • Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west • Land eroded by wind and water • Low rainfall • Frequent dust storms

Before the Civil War, the Great Plains were considered a "treeless wasteland".

Homestead Act of 1862 WHAT IS IT? •gave 160 acres of land free •had to be at least 21 years of age

Exoduster

•former slaves looking for better opportunities by moving out west

REASON 3 Technological Advancements

Barbed Wire • The invention of barbed wire allowed farmers to keep cattle from nearby ranches off their fields and away from their crops.

The Barbed Wire

Beef Cattle Raising • In the early 1800s, cattle ranches began appearing on the Great Plains, especially in Texas.

Wheat Farming • Farmers adopted an improved strain of Russian wheat which required less water and grew well in the dryer soil of the Great Plains. • Invention of Mechanical Reaper

Steel Plows • With improved steel plows, farmers could break up the tough soil.

Dry Farming • Farmers learned they could grow crops on the dry soil if they plowed deeply, breaking up the tough sod with the new steel plows.

Sod houses • Lacking trees and other materials, settlers on the Great Plains built their homes from sod • a sort of packed dirt held together by roots and cut into squares.

Windmills • New models of windmills were used throughout the Great Plains to pump water from the ground and to provide power.

Railroads • 1860-1890 The railroad network in the US grew fast. • The railroad made trade between different parts of the country easier, encouraging industrial and economic growth. • Demand for beef was high, and as railroads developed, ranchers would drive their cattle north to meet up with the lines.

Transcontinental Railroad

Which companies helped build the Transcontinental Railroad and what were their starting points?

• Union Pacific-built from Omaha, Nebraska west • Central Pacific-built from Sacramento, California east

Where did the two rail lines meet? • Promontory Point, Utah

Who was hired to help with the construction of the railroad? • Union Pacific-Irish, AfricanAmerican, Germans • Central Pacific-Chinese

Effects of the building of the TCR to the Native Americans • Downfall of Native Americans • Native Americans were placed into Reservations • “Dawes Act” • Battle and conflicts – Battle of Little Big Horn, Battle of Wounded Knee • A lot of Buffalo was killed – Buffalo Soldier William Cody

Why was the buffalo so important to the Native Americans? jerky teepees (shelter) clothes blankets shoes

What were the benefits of the transcontinental railroad? • carried metal, helped the steel industry, helped the west be settled, faster and easier travel to the west, created the time zones • most important benefit-faster travel

Paved way for cities to progress • New England – Textile Industries • Pittsburgh – Steel • Chicago – Meat Packaging • Detroit – Car Manufacturing

REASON 4 Possibility of wealth through the discovery of gold and silver

The Pike’s Peak 

Found lots of gold  “Pikes Peak or Bust”  this began the “Gold Rush”

What was a boomtown? • A town that sprung up around the mining site; had saloons, funeral parlors, and casinos

What was a ghost town? A boomtown after everyone left

What effect did women have on boomtowns? • Women created schools, stores, hospitals and entertainment

REASON 5 Adventure

Cowboy Life • Some people thought that life in the West was filled with adventure. Young men were drawn to the cowboy life.

What were the challenges on the trail for the cowboys?        

Wind Rain Hot sun Violent storms Crossing fast rivers 15 hours on a saddle stampeded rustlers