Oregon Trail
What was the Average time span it took to travel the Oregon Trail?
4-6 months
What were the NAMES of the TWO COMPANIES that worked on the Transcontinental Railroad?
Union Pacific & Central Pacific
Did Miners MOSTLY end up working for THEMSELVES or for COMPANIES?
They ended up working for COMPANIES.
The Homestead Act of 1862 offered up how many acres of land in Western Territories if they settled on it for how much time?
160 acres / 5 years
Who was the American Cowboy INFLUENCED by?
Mexican Vaqueros
Where did the Oregon Trail START & END? (List the City AND State)
Start: Independence, Missouri
End: Oregon City, Oregon
What TWO THINGS were the Railroad Companies at the time PAID with?
Government Bonds
Federal Land
Fill in the Blanks: Miners worked for ______ wages and most ended up _________________ gold
low wages / not finding any
Name at least TWO HARDSHIPS the FARMERS in the West had to FACE.
Extremes of hot and cold
High winds that would cause Tornadoes
Scarce water
Grasshoppers (locusts) destroyed crops
Homesteads were very isolated
160 acres was not enough land for a successful farm
What were the stories written about the adventures of Outlaws & Vigilantes taming the “Wild West” called? WHO loved hearing these stories?
Dime Novels & East Coast People
DEFINE what is a PULL Factor & PUSH Factor
Pull Factor- Positive Reason why people traveled to the West.
Push Factor-Negative Reason why people left their homes to travel to the West
What SPECIFIC GROUP of IMMIGRANTS WORKED for EACH Railroad Company?
The Irish worked for the Union Pacific
The Chinese worked for the Central Pacific
Define what a Ghost Town is
a town that deserted by miners who could no longer find precious ore
Which TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE were able to FILE CLAIMS and OWN land that WOULDN’T normally be able to under the Homestead Act?
African Americans & Women
Briefly DESCRIBE what the PURPOSE of the COW TOWNS was.
They had stockyards where cattle would be held until they could be placed on trains and shipped East
Give ONE Example of a PULL Factor
•Abundant, fertile, and free land
•Discovery of gold
•Perception that there were better and more opportunities there
What was the purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
To prohibit the further immigration of people from China to the U.S.
Define what a Boom Town is
A town that grew rapidly around a prosperous mine
Who were the Exodusters and Why did they MOVE?
African Americans who moved to Kansas from the South / They moved for the opportunity to escape the oppression in the South
What was the PURPOSE of the Chisolm Trail?
It allowed Texas ranchers to move herds of cattle to railroad stations in Kansas
Give ONE Example of a PUSH Factor
•Widespread economic depression
•Political conflicts before, during, and after the Civil War
•Religion
What are TWO EXAMPLES of how the Transcontinental Railroad ACCELERATED or BENEFITED the Growth and Opening up of the West in America?
Made travel faster, easier, & safer = better than wagon travel
Created job opportunities
Turned the frontier wilderness into railroad towns
It united the country
Brought businesses out West
Made transporting goods easier/faster
LIST TWO EXAMPLES of ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT the Miners made
Sludge
Mercury and other harmful chemicals were used in the mining process and made its way into the soil and water
Deforestation
Erosion
Destruction of ecosystems
Why, on the Great Plains, were the Sod Houses NOT made with WOOD?
Because there are barely any trees out on the Great Plains.
What are at least TWO REASONS that Ranching on the Open Range ENDED?
•Grazing rights
•Overgrazing of the prairie grasses
•Landowners fenced off the open range with barbed wire
•Beef prices decreased = saturated market (a.k.a too many ranchers/surplus of beef supply)
•The “Great Die-Up” – the harsh winter of 1886-1887 killed 90% of the cattle