CHAPTER 13 SECTION 1

Settling the West

The Great American Desert

• Named such by explorer Stephen Long

• The word “desert” did not have its modern meaning− Because rainfall was so

sparse, explorers believed the region would be useless for farming

− No trees, no rivers− Area dominated by

Native Americans− Perception only begins

to change after the Civil War

Size

• 501,933 square miles

• Area approximately twice the size of France

• Ten distinct geographical sections

• Millions of years ago was part of a shallow inland sea

Climate• Mostly humid

continental− Hot summers− Cold winters− Precipitation varies− Averages only 20

inches per year• Also humid subtropical

− Hot, humid summers− Mild winters

• Steppe− Enough water for

grass, not enough for trees

Blizzards• Could start nearly

instantly• Farmers or cowboys far

from shelter could get lost very quickly

• Winter of 1887 – “Great Die Up”

• Massive herds of cattle froze/starved to death

• When Spring thaws came, hard to find water fit to drink

Soil

• loess – highly fertile, highly erodable soil often carried by the wind

• Modern example: China’s loess plateau− Since ancient times,

performed a similar function to our Great Plains

Water• Only 20 inches of rainfall per year• BUT, pioneers settled the Great Plains during a time of

unusually heavy rainfall• Ogalalla Aquifer

− Makes large scale agriculture possible in the plains

Cattle• Brought to the Americas by the Spanish• Longhorns were adapted to the heat, arid climate• As demand for beef grew, cattle ranchers could make a small

fortune• Cattle in the east had been slaughtered during the Civil War• Federal government allowed open range grazing• Branding of cattle

The Chisholm Trail• Named for Jesse Chisholm• Crucial route through Native American

country in Oklahoma• Goal was to get the cattle to railway

stations to ship east• Could sell for a much higher price than

in Texas. • Many cowboys were former Confederate• soldiers, African-Americans and some

Hispanics• Age of the great cattle drives ended with

the invention and of barbed wire for fencing

Mining

• Western deposits of gold, silver, and copper

• Two types: placer mining and quartz mining

• Raises the question – who is responsible for safety?• Miners?• Mine owners?

• Workers breathe in dust constantly, oftentimes gas fumes

• Temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees in the mines

Comstock Lode

Henry Comstock staked a claim for a silver mine in Six-Mile canyon, Nevand

Created Virginia City, Nevada almost overnight

Boomtown to ghost town Crime was a problem;

vigilance committees formed

Encourages settlement of the West and expansion of the railroads

The Indian Wars• In 1860 Native Americans still control vast areas of

the central U.S.− Settlers didn’t want them yet

Manifest Destiny• Idea that Americans had a divinely-ordained mission

to populate and civilize North America from sea to sea

• Always controversial, and never agreed upon by everyone

The Oregon Trail• Major source of movement to the west coast• Declines after the first transcontinental railroad is

finished

First Transcontinental Railroad

• 1,776 miles• Completed May 10, 1876 at Promontory Point, Utah• Connected eastern and western railroad networks