Fur trading and gold were present

Natives survived through hunting and gathering

Weather was extreme and the buffalo did roam

250,000 Pueblo and Plains Indians remained in the Western half of the country

About 2/3rds of all Native Americans in the US lived on the Great Plains

Their lives centered on the buffalo and horse.

Labor was divided by gender sometimes led to equality

Reservation Day schools established

Tribal clothing and hairstyles banned

Students could only speak English

Students were taught to farm and fix machines

Land ownership for native: The Dawes Act (1877)

Divided tribal lands into individual family plots

160 acres for family head

80 acres for single adults

40 acres for dependent children

Surplus sold to white settlers to fund Indian schools

Land held in trust for 15 years could not be sold leased by speculators

US citizenship would be granted after 25 years

Later altered by law, mixed heritage Indians can sell land

The final blow: Elimination of the buffalo

Destroyed during the building of the Transcontinental RR, by the Army and by western tourists

Professional hunters killed 3 million a year between 1872-1874

Alcoholism, unemployment and poverty were common on reservations

Inspired by the Gold Rush of 1849

Some walked; others rode on horses or in wagons

The trip was difficult took months, was risky, over tough terrain, was lonely, messy, etc

Crossing the Rockies was perhaps the most treacherous part

Free land was promised to settlers to encourage westward movement

Homestead Act of 1862

100 million acres total sold to settlers

$10 fee and promise to cultivate it for 5 yrs

160 acre plots European immigrants recruited through ads

600,000 families took advantage of the giveaway

Timber Culture Act of 1873

160 acres promised to those who agreed to plant 25% of the land with trees

10 million acres given led to forestation

Desert Land Act of 1877

Encouraged by cattle ranchers, allowed takers to get up to 640 acres

In arid states only required the land to be irrigated

Ranchers used hired hands to file claims

Timber and Stone Act of 1878

Allowed residents of CA, OR and WA to buy up to 160 acres for $2.50 per acre

Lumber companies had employees file for land claims

Sailors were persuaded to file claims and were paid in beer or cash

New lands Reclamation Act of 1902

Set aside proceeds of land sales in 16 states to finance irrigation projects

Dams, canals and irrigation systems were created

Railroad companies also sold right of way lands to immigrants and corporations

Most settlers (66%) who gained land were unable to make their claims successful

Governed by officials who had near absolute power

Dependent upon the federal government and patronage

Speculators and political party influence were common

People went to CA after the Gold Rush of 49

Half went to provide goods and services

Placer mining panning for gold was the common technique for prospectors

Required little equipment, money or skill

Rarely yielded great riches--quickly replaced by corporate mining

Corporate mining was needed for deep veins and shafts

Henry Comstock discovered the Comstock Lode in Nevada

Produced over $306 million in gold and silver from 1859-1879

John Mackay's Big Bonanza was the richest mining strike in history

Found in 1873 at a depth of 1167 feet

Mackay became the richest man in the world, earning $25 a minute

More strikes of gold and silver were made in WA, ID, NE, CO, MT, AZ and the Dakotas

Mining camps were wild and were ruled by simple democracy

Mining camps were filled with men at a ratio of 2 to 1

Respectable women were rare

Housekeeping and cooking could also earn women some $$$

Miners from minority groups were common (33-50 % of all miners)

Riots and taxes began to limit minority participation and profits

The mining boom ended in 1890 with varying effects

Women brought civilizing influences to converted mining camps

Western territories achieved statehood because of increased population

Increased silver supplies led to political disputes over currency

A few became very wealthy most simply subsisted

Ghost towns and displaced natives of the Dakotas remained

Open Range Ranching was the norm from 1865-1885

About half of the cowboys were black or Mexican; fewer opportunities for advancement for these cowboys

Cattle towns were generally safe and peaceful with strictly enforced rules

The open range ended in the early 1900s with bitter disputes between cattle and sheep Ranchers

Exoduses (former slaves) moved to KS and homesteaded 20,000 acres

A large number of former slaves also moved to OK

Dry farming helped to compensate for the lack of rainfall

New strains of wheat were developed or imported

Chilled iron plow, harvesters and cord binders, and threshers were crucial equipment

Bonanza Farms became more common required lots of machinery and outside capital

Oliver Kelley founded the Grange (1867)

Provided social, cultural and educational activities form farm families

Political involvement was banned, but the ban was generally ignored

Grew to 800,000 members in 20,000 chapters by 1875

Set up co-ops and led to the development of the Farmers Alliance

Farming became more professional, and the successful farmer had to be knowledgeable in

science, business management, markets trends, and politics

Rural Free Delivery was helpful in bringing the outside world to the farm