Mining/Railroad
What was the Transcontinental Rail Road
a railroad that would run from the east coast to the west coast
Who was Chief Joseph
He was the leader of Leader of the Nez Perces
Vaquero
Spanish word for cowboy
Boomer
Name given to 100,000 people who gathered near Oklahoma City to claim free homesteads in what was once Indian Territory
Homesteader
Settler who acquired free land from the government on the Great Plains
Why were boom towns growing so quickly
People were hoping to strike it rich, so they rushed out to those areas
Fort Laramie Treaty
U.S. officials want the Plains nations to stop following the buffalo traditional way of life culture
Cattle Drive
hearding and moving of cattle over long distances
Sooner
Name given to the people who cheated and snuck onto the land early
Eventually all 2 million acres are claimed
Populist Party
Political party that was formed by unhappy farmers and members of labor unions
What were some things NEEDED in boom towns
Hotels,Stores that sold food,clothes,mining equipment, and even clean water
The Sand Creek Massacre
The Cheyennes that were attacked by Chivington were friendly and under army protection.
Over 100 men,women, and children died
Cattle Kingdom
Region dominated by the cattle industry and its ranchers,trails,and cow towns
Frontier closes
When the 1890 census stated that there was no more land open to homesteaders, it meant there was no more frontier
Winner of the Election of 1896
William McKinley
The general public didn’t see the farmers’ problems as their own
What was Virginia City
A boom town developed near the mines in Nevada
Buffalo Soldiers
African Am. veterans who fought on the Plains for 20 years
How RR's changed Texas
RR's provided a way for ranchers to get cattle beef back east and to the soldiers and miners in the west
Homestead Act of 1862
160 acre plot to anyone who lived on the land for 5 years
The purpose was to give the poor a chance to own farms
Additional Goals of the Populist Party
They wanted to use silver in addition to gold as a basis for the money supply
They hoped inflation would help them pay off their debts so they could avoid foreclosure
How were women able to make money
Restaurants,Washing Clothes,Boarding Houses,Baked Goods
Dawns Act
A law passed by Congress in hopes that it would improve Native American Life The goal was to get them to stop wandering and settle down
The West transformed
Although there were many “wild” things about the west, as more time went on & more people settled there, things settled down. Wild towns became quiet and settled as more families settled there.
Railroads promote farming
RR’s wanted to encourage farming because it meant more customers shipping goods on the RR
They gave away some of the land the government gave them to homesteaders
Recruited thousands of people from the eastern U.S. as well as Ireland, Germany, & Scandinavia
Spanish Southwest
Many people had lived there since before the U.S. took control of the area
They were farmers & sheep herders
They helped build railroad lines
Some were large landowners called ricos who had to fight to keep their land under the American gov’t.