Mining Industry
California and Pikes Peak
After the Civil War name the most ambitious construction project during the 1800's.
Laying the tracks for the Transcontinental Railroad.
Identify the Country that cattle orginated in and in which state did cattle arrive in the US
Spain and Texas
What two mountain chains are the boundries of the Great Plains
From the Appalacian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains
Explain Manifest Destiny
A belief by Americans that the United States was destined to span the continent (not share with any other countries) and share the greatness of America with other culturess.
(Thought America better than any other culture)
Identify Henry Comstock
Made the deal on what would become the Comstock Lode.
In your own words, name the starting point of the Transcontinental RR and the end location.
East Coast to West Coast
Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean
Why did ranchers desperately want to get to a RR?
So the cattle could be shipped to the East Coast and they would earn $30-40 for each cattle.
That is how most rancher became wealthy
Discribe the land and the climate
the land was flat and grassy with hard soil and few trees
The climate was a harsh one that had blazing summers and freezing winters with heavy snow
Who benefited from the Oklahoma Land Rush?
Who was the victim and what promise was broken
Describe the Land Rush.
American settlers
Native American tribes had been promised they could forever own the "Indian Territory" but it was broken.
The NA were forced to sell 2 million acres of the Indian Territory and American settlers rushed in their wagons to claim parts which would become their farms.
How much was the Comstock Lode ultimately worth?
$500,000
Identify the Golden Spike and in which state was it located?
The final spike hammered into the Transcontintental RR in Utah (Promontory)
What did nature provide that allowed for the
"long cattle drive?"
There was an OPEN RANGE of grass all the way to Sedelia Missouri where the RR would take the cattle to East Coast
Name one invention that made the farmers' lives easier.
1. Lightweight steel plough
2. barbed wire
3. Dry farming: having ditches on the side to capture rain water.
Define frontier. Who claimed that the frontier of America was closed?
Frontier: the border between civilized, settled places (like cities in the East) and wild unsettled land.
The Census Bureau claimed the frontier closed.
So many people had moved West, built towns, and farmed the land that there was no longer a clear line separating "settled" areas from the wild frontier.
What happened to the lone miner looking to strike it rich?
He became obsolete; the ore was too far down in the earth and required large industrial machinery.
How many miles of track was laid to complete the Transcontinental RailRoad?
1,800 miles
1. Drive through dense woods.
2. Were stopped by fences.
3. The worry of Native American attacks
4. Severe weather
5. Cattle disease
Name the largest government benefit that enticed people in the East to risk moving to the west.
Name one natural disaster that derailed the Great Plains farmers.
Homestead Act: 160 free acres
The locust plague of 1874
What did the people in the East believe about the culture and life in the "Wild West"?
Who instigated this idea?
1. They imagined it as a dangerous yet exciting land of cowboys, opportunity, rugged individualism, and constant gunfights.
2. Journalists and "dime store" novels write stories that were exaggerated. Life in the West was really one of hard work and sacrifice.
Name the biggest benefit that came from the mining industry?
The lure of riches pulled thousands of people to move west and populate the area.
Name the greatest benefits from the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
1. Allowed the American economy to BOOM and America became a wealthy nation.
2. Drastically cut the time to travel from coast to coast.
3. Provided a more efficient way to move people to the West
How did the American adventursome life change once the ranchers moved their operation up north and fenced in their land?
The cowboy was now a simple ranch hand. He dug holes and installed fences. He worked on projects on the ranch...no more herding cattle, long cattle drives, and adventures exploring the west.
Name the reasons that attracted people from the East to risk moving west.
1. Homestead Act
2. weather patterns had changed and their was adequate rainfall.
3. Railroad made it possible for the farmers to ship crops to distand markets to make more money.
4. New technology made it farming on the Plains easier
Name some Western legends that would provide intriguing reading.
. Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Annie Oakly, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
Tomorrow, we will meet the Buffalo Soldiers.