Revision Sheet for the American West

7/31/2019 Revision Sheet for the American West

1/20

History:TheAmericanWest

AtimelineoftheAmericanWest:

TheHistoryoftheAmericanWestissplitintomanyvarioussections/periods:

Section/Period Overview

TheGeographyOf

America

This is an introduction to the geographical regions and its

features.Theclimateandlandscape.

TheNativeAmericans Covers Lifestyles and Religion & Tradition of the Native

Americans

TheEarlySettlers Exploresthelifeoftheearlysettlers,covers:

- JourneyWest- TheMormons- TheGoldRush- SettlementandHomesteaders

Date(s) Detail

1492 ColumbusarrivesinAmerica1700s SiouxforcedontoPlainsfromGreatLakesregion

1776 AmericanDeclarationofIndependence

1830 BookofMormonFirstPublished

1833 FirstMormonTempleBuiltinKirtland,Ohio

1847 MormonsSettleinSaltLakeValley

1848 DiscoveryofGoldinCaliforniabyJamesMarshall

1849 CaliforniaGoldRush

1861-1865 USCivilWar

1862 LittleCrowsWar

1862 TheHomesteadAct

1864-(Nov29) SandCreekMassacre

1866-1868 RedCloudsWar

1867 MedicineLodgeTreaty

1869 FirstTranscontinentalRailroadCompleted

1873 TimberCultureAct

1874 IntroductionofBarbedWire

1876(June25-26) BattleofLittleBighorn

1876-1877 SiouxCampaign

1877 DesertLandAct

1881 ShootoutattheOKCorral

1886-1887 TerribleWinter

1887 DawesAct

1890 FrontierDeclaredClosedbyUSCensusBureau

1890-(Dec29) MassacreatWoundedKnee

1892 JohnsonCountyWar


2/20

CattleTrailsandthe

Cowboys

Thissectionlooksatthedevelopmentofthejobsandrolesof

the Cowboys and the cattle they raised. This section

specificallyfocuseson:

- EarlyRearingandtheCattleTrails- DevelopmentofCattleRearing- Cowboys

TheIndianWars ThissectionlooksatthevariouswarsoftheIndiansandhow

variousactsandtreatieswereencouragedtoendthem.Inthis

section,eachconflictandtreatywillbecoveredandtheeffect

theyhadonwaysoflifeforbothpartiesinvolved.

TheEndoftheNative

AmericanWayofLife

Ashortsectionoutlininghow,aftertheIndianWars,thewhite

mangainedcontroloftheplainsandtheIndianswipedout.

TheGeographyOfAmerica

GeographicalRegions

Inthiscourse,theAmericanWestisdefinedastheareaofNorthAmericathatis

WestoftheMississippiriver.Thisareaisdividedintovariousregionsthatwillbethe

focusofthecourse.ThemainareasofstudyconsistoftheGreatPlainsinthecentre

oftheAmericanWestandthesubsequentareasWestoftheGreatPlains:TheRocky

Mountains,GreatSaltPlainsandtheareasofCaliforniaandOregon.Theseregions

differgreatlyfromeachotherintermsofclimate,landscapeandpopulation.Itisthe

changeanddevelopmentoftheseareasthatisstudiedinthistopic.

TheClimateandLandscapeoftheAmericanWest

Throughout thehistoryofthisarea, the landscapeand climatehas alwaysbeena

contributingfactorinhowtheregionsdevelopandhowthepopulationthereact.

Primarily, themain focus region is The Great Plains, a vast expanse of land that

dominatesCentralNorthAmerica.Itismainlycomposedofgrasslandsplitintothe

EasternLowPlains(longgrass)andtheWesternHighPlains(shortgrass).Akey

pointisthattheGreatPlainsbecomedrieranddesert-likethemoresouthernyou

travel. The weather across the Plains varies severely to an extreme degree. Themountains on either side of the region create what are known as rain-shadows

(regionswithverylittlerain).Thereforeextremedroughtiscommoninthesummer

andseveresnowfallinwinter.Furthermore,duetothelandlockedstateoftheGreat

Plains, there is a vast difference in temperature from the summer to thewinter

months.AfinalnoteisthatTornadosarecommononthePlains.

Another area that commonly features throughout the course are The Rocky

Mountains. These mountains form a barrier across America with their heavily

woodedslopesandparticularlylargepeaks.TowardsthecentreoftheRockieslies

thePlateauxregion.Itisrelativelyflatandconsistsofdesert.Watercanrunintothis


3/20

regionandgettrapped;onlyescapingthroughevaporation.Thisfeatureledtothe

creationoftheGreatSaltLake;averyimportantgeographicallocationlateron.

ThepacificcoastlinestothefarWestarethelastmainfocusareaofthecourse.This

region consists of desirable fertile land and a pleasant, mild, temperate climate.

Becauseofthis,theregionwasamuchsought-afterareatolive.

TheNativeAmericans

TheNativeAmericans,orPlains Indians,were the peoplewho livedonthe plains

whenColumbusdiscovereditin1492.Thestartofthisstudyperiodis1840where

webegintolookatthelifestyleandcultureoftheNativeAmericanswholivedthere

atthattime.Inthisperiod,theNativeAmericanswerenotjustasinglegroupwith

setcustoms;theyweremanydifferenttribesthatallexpresseddifferingculturesand

beliefs.

Lifestyle

TheNative American people were adapted to their environment, which enabled

themtosurviveontheseharshlands.However,inorderforthistooccur,theNative

Americanshadasevererelianceonthebuffalothatgrazedontheplains.Beforethe

mass slaughter in1870,millions ofbuffalowereavailable tothenomadichunter-

gatherersthatwereessentialinbringingsuppliestothevariousIndiantribes.The

buffalo provided the necessities for life in these tribes. Every single part of the

buffalowasused,fromsinewsforropestodungforfuel,exceptfortheheart.Thiswasremovedandburiedontheplains,which,theybelieved,enabledthebuffalos

spirittoberebornandthereforekepttheherdsofbuffalohealthyandplentiful.

AvastdevelopmentinthelifestyleoftheNativeAmericanscamewhenEuropeans

brought over horses in the 16th Century. The horses increased the power of the

tribes.Theymadehuntingmucheasierandmoreefficientandenabledthetransport

offoodandbelongingstobemuchmoreviable.

However,theEuropeansalsobroughtanotherfeaturetoNativeAmericanlifestyle;

one that was not appreciated. European diseases such as Smallpox and Choleracausedwidespreadepidemicsandsubsequentdeath.Nomadictribes(scatteredand

constantlymoving)werelessvulnerabletotheseepidemicsthanthepermanently

stationedfarmingtribesandassuchthepopulationofNomadictribesincreasedand

tookmajority.

Thereweredifferencesbetweentribes,however,thathadnothingtodowith the

way they hunted. Leadershipsbetween tribes differed; the previously agricultural

tribes tended toemployahereditary conceptwhenchoosinga Chiefwhereas the

leadershipofNomadictribeswasveryflexible.Anotherfeatureofcontrastbetween

tribeswas the languagetheyspoke.Eachtribehadtheirown individualtakeona


4/20

main language; inter-tribal communicationwas possiblebut some differencesdid

occur.*ThinkofitlikeanAustraliantalkingtoanAmerican*

Thetribesthemselveshadaveryunique conceptontheownershiponland. They

simplydidnotacknowledgethefactthatlandcouldbeseenassomethingthatcould

beboughtandsold.Landwasfreetothetribes,likeair,andsoanyonecouldsettle

orgrowcropsanywhere.

Generositywasakeyfactorintriballife;itwasexpectedfromeveryonewhocould

provideittodisplaygenerositytothoseinneed.Thisconceptattributedtoapersons

prestige and power within the tribe and, likewise, a lack of it decreased their

influence.Achiefwhowasntgenerouslosttheirinfluenceonthetribe.

Therolesofwomenandmenwereverydifferentwithinatribe.Primarily,mostmen

werewarriors.TribalwarfarewaspartofthecultureofmanyNativeAmericans.Low

intensityviolenceandraidsonothertribesforhorsesandcaptiveswereapartofthelifestyleandservedasapurposeofgainingprestigeandstatureinatribe.Aspecific

acttoshowbraveryandprestigewasknownasCountingCoup.Thismeantriding

uptoanenemyandtouchingthemwithasymbolicstickbeforeridingawaysafely.

Thesesymbolicactsreducedtheneedfordeathtoshowprestigeandsotribalwar

wassustainable.ThereasonforthisisduetothefactthattheNativeAmericansdid

not view themselves as a nation but considered each tribe to be completely

different.Thereforerivaltribescouldbeconsideredasmuchstrangersandenemies

asthewhitesettlers.Somethingtonote,though,isthatnotalltribeswerewarlike,

forexample,thePueblosonlyfoughtinself-defence.

Womenof the tribes played a separate and contrasting role inNative American

culture. War and hunting were considered to be themens business and so the

womendidnotrisktheirlivesdoingthis;theyplayedahard-workingrolewithinthe

runningofthetribe:

Agriculture(ifanywasdone) Findingfoodforthehorsesandleadingthemwhenthetriberelocated Tanningbuffalohides Makingtipis(traditionalconeshapedhomeoftheNativeAmericans) Makingpemmican(alonglastingproductoffruitandbuffalomeat) Makingmostofthefinishedgoods-whatthewomenmadethey

subsequentlyowned,givingthempower.

ReligionandTraditions

ThewaytheNativeAmericanssawandinteractedwiththeworldwasbasedaround

theirreligion,whichwascloselylinkedtonature.Theybelievedthathumansarepart

ofnatureandnotmastersoverit.Thefundamentalbeliefwasina lifeforceknown

as The GreatSpirit thatwas present innature. Itwasnt personified and as such

could not be anthropomorphised (given human features). It wasnt a sentient,consciousbeinginthewaythattheChristiangodisperceived;itwassimplyatforce


5/20

that was at one with nature. To the Native Americans, nature had a spiritual

dimension and was not just a supplier of commodities and resources for

exploitation.

TheNative Americans expressed an avid belief in the interdependence of things;

theysawallentitiesasbeingconnected.Therefore,circleswerespirituallyimportant

tothemandsoreligiousritualsalwaystookplaceincircles.Theyalsobelievedthat

everything has spirits as part of the Great Spirit, living (such as the buffalo they

hunted)andnon-living(suchasthemountainsandrivers).Todisturbtheseitemsof

naturemeantthattheirspiritsweredeserved.Topreventthis,ritualswhenhunting

werenot only for guaranteeing success,butwere clinical inkeeping the spiritsof

creaturessatisfiedandcontent.

Thetribeshadcertainmemberswhoappearedtohaveaconnectiontothepowerof

thespirits.Labelledmedicinemen(whichmeant: toappealtospiritsviaprayer,

ritual,orceremony),theypossessedstrength,courageandanunderstandingofboththevisibleandinvisibleworlds.

TheNative American beliefs and traditions were continued through oral history.

Theydidnotkeepphysicalwrittenaccountsoftheseand,assuch,importantideas

and histories of the tribes were passed down from generation to generation by

tellingstoriesandtales.Theissuewithoralhistorymeansthatsignsofchangeand

difference were rarely noted due to the same stories being passed down from

generations.Italsohadatendencytobeextremelyfragileinthesensethatabad

diseaseepidemiccouldkillofftheelderlywhopossessedtheknowledgeandsothis

knowledgewassubsequentlylost.

TheEarlySettlers

EuropeansettlersfirstsettledintheEastCoastofAmericainthe1600s.However,it

soonbecameapparentthattheWestcouldprovideamuchbetterqualityoflife;at

least,thatswhattheybelieved.

TheJourneyWest

ThejourneyWestwasaperilousone,oftenfatalifattemptedatthewrongtimeof

year. Familiesupstakesand simply left inhuge trails ofwagons,milesandmiles

long,containingalllifepossessions.Thedevelopmentofmigrationmeantthattrails

ofpassagehadtobecreatedand,astheyearswentby,moreandmoretrailsbegan

to appear across the American landscape. These trails had been pioneered by

explorersandtrappers,morecommonlyknownasinfamousmountainmen,and

withouttheirknowledge,thejourneywouldhavebeenclosetoimpossible.*Amost

notable mountain man was Jim Bridger, a pioneering 40 year wanderer of the

mountainswhofirstreportedtheexistenceoftheGreatSaltLake*


6/20

Themapshowsthemostcommontrails.ThemajoritybeginatStLouisandeither

branch toend atLos Angeles orSan Francisco. They all crossed the GreatPlains,

whichquickly became knownas the GreatAmericanDesert due to the fact they

werefirstthoughtunsuitableforagriculturebecauseoftheextremeclimate,hard

ground and sparse rainfall. The majority crossed the Rocky Mountains, which

providedoneofthetoughestchallengersforthemigrants.

Themost common trails, the Oregon and California trails, stretched about 2000

miles and the approximate crossing time was 5 months by wagon. The rivers,

mountains and desert provided toughchallenges for themigrantswhich, coupled

withalackofdisciplineandexperience,wouldcausedangerousdelays.Itwassimply

imperativethatthewinterdeadlinewasbeaten.

OneinfamousdisasteroccurredtotheDonnerParty.Theytriedanunknownshort

cutandendedup trapped in deep snow in the Sierra Nevada in 1846. Of the87

emigrantsintheparty,lessthan50surviveduntilthenextspring,onlybyresortingtocannibalismandeatingthosewhodied.

Taking the journeywas very costly. Thosewho couldoutfit awagonhad tohave

money.Manywerefarmerswhosoldtheirfarmsataprofit;othersincludedlawyers,

teachers, clergy and craftsmen. Thosewho couldnot afford, such asyoungmen,

couldhirethemselvesashelpersonthetrails.

Theperilousnatureofthejourneyraisesquestionsaboutwhythepeoplejourneyed

thethousandsofmilesandtooksuchahugerisk.Itwaswellrecordedthatasmany

as10%ofpeoplewoulddieonthejourney.Thetablebelowsuggeststhepushandpullfactors,whatwaspushingthemoutoftheEastandpullingthemtotheWest.

PushFactors(outoftheEast) PullFactors(intotheWest)

Poverty Prospectofgoldandsilver

Disease Anewstart

Religious/socialpersecution Talltales/newspaperreports

Taxation Fertilecheapland

OverpopulationintheEast Governmentencouragedit

AlargereasonalsowasthecommonsharedbeliefbetweenWhiteAmericans,thebeliefinManifestDestiny.Thiswasthebeliefthattheyweredestinedtooccupy


7/20

andgovern thewholeofNorthAmerica; theysaw itas theirGod-givenright. The

white settles also saw their religion and culture as superior to the beliefs of the

NativeAmericans.Theysawthemselvesascivilisingthecontinent.

TheMormons

The Mormons were a group of people who were followers of a branch of

Christianity.TheywerefollowersofJosephSmithandhisconceptaboutreligion.Itis

stillareligionthatisinpractisetoday.

JosephSmithwasthesonofapoorfarmerfromVermontwho,in1823,claimedhe

dugupsomegoldenplatesfromamountainsideinPalmyra,NewYorkState.Hesaid

he had been guidedby an angel, Moroni,who then helped him to translate the

mysteriouswritingonthem.Itsupposedlysaidthatwhoeverfoundtheplateswould

restorethechurchofJesusChristinAmericaandbuildupGodskingdomonEarth

ready for Christssecond coming. Smithpublished this inthe BookofMormon in1830.

TheMormons were named afterMormon,Moronis father, and believed Joseph

SmithandtheGoldenPlatesstory.Smithstartedwithonly5followersbutby1830,

hischarismaticpublicspeakingresultedinseveralhundredfollowers.

MormonBeliefs

- Againstswearing,drinking,gambling(ungodly)- Believeinhardworkforeachotherandthecommunity- BelievedtheywereGodsChosenPeopleandcalledthemselvesSaints- Gave1/10oftheirearningstochurch- Laterbelievedinandallowedpolygamy

TheMormons settledin theEastbutweredrivenoutofeverywheretheytried to

settle.Thetablebelowoutlinesthis:

EasternPlaceandDates WhatHappenedThere

Kirtland,Ohio1831-1837 LabelledbySmithasGodschosenplace

onEarth.Theybuiltatemple,banksand

farms. The bankscollapsed in1837,thenon-Mormonslostmoneyanddrovethe

MormonsoutofKirtland.

Missouri1837-1838 LabelledbySmithas Godschosenplace


farms. Problems over land purchases,

opposition to Mormons ideas over

slavery (equal and free) and the

suspicion over Danites plotting with

Indians. Mormons chased out of

Missouri, Brigham Young emerged toleadtheMormonstoIllinois.


8/20

Nauvoo,Illinois1839-1846 LabelledbySmithasGodschosenplace


farms. AgainMormon ideas on slavery,

Indians, the Danites and Polygamy

angered non-Mormons. Smith also ran

for President but was arrested in June

1844 and was murdered later that

month.

ThisconstantoppositionandthedeathofJosephSmithresultedinfollowersleaving

the Mormon faith. However, 15000 remainedwhen Brigham Young took over as

leader.

BrighamYoungwastheleaderoftheMormonsafterJosephSmith.Oneofhisfirst

jobsas leaderwastoorganisethemoveof15,000men,womenandchildren into

unknown, dangerous territory and ensure they survived the journey. This was ajourneythattheyhadnotexpectedtomakeandweresubsequentlypoorlyprepared

for.

Theyweretravelling2250kmtotheGreatSaltLakeandtolandnobodyelsewanted.

Inorderforthistobeasuccess,BrighamYoung:

-DividedtheMormonsintomanageablegroups,eachwithaleader

- Insistedonstrictdiscipline,givingeveryoneaspecificroletoplay- Taughtthemhowtoformtheirwagonsintoacircleatnightforsafety- Insistedonregularrestingplaces

TheadvancepartyoftheMormonswentaheadandfollowedtherunsmadebythe

wagonwheels of the Donner party and so there was always the treat that they

wouldsufferthesamefate.ReachingthetopofthepassthatleddowntotheGreat

SaltLakeinJuly1847,thegrouphadtodecidewhethertopressontothepopulated

yetfertilelandofOregonorCalifornia,ordescendtotheempty,infertilesaltflats

that surrounded the lake.BrighamYoung issupposedtohave said,It isenough.

Thisistherightplace.

TheflatsoftheGreatSaltLakewas chosenbyYoungbecauseofmultiple reasons

influencedbypastMormonattemptsatsettlement. The landwas stillclaimedtohavebeenchosenforthembyGodbutmainlyitwasawayfromnon-Mormons.The

landwasnotgoodforfarmingsonooneelsewanteditand,additionally,theland

didnotbelongtotheUSAandsowasnotsubjecttoUSlaws.TheybuiltSaltLakeCity

thatwasidenticaltoprevioussettlements,minusthenon-Mormons.However,these

reasonsforsettlementalsoraisedtheirownissuesandproblems,detailedbelow:

IssuewithSettlement Solutions

LandOwnership No individual will own land - it was

decided that landwouldbeequallyand

fairlydistributedbytheMormonChurchProblemofFreshWater Irrigation - Dry ditches for irrigation,


9/20

mainditchandsidestreamslinkedtothe

mainsourcethatsuppliedfreshwaterto

thelake

TheNeedtobeSelf-sufficient Perpetual Emigration Fund - provide

money for the poorer Mormons living

everywhere in America and Europe to

makethejourneytotheMormontowns

toprovidethecommunitywithskillsand

talents required. Emigrants then had to

paybackthemoneyininstalments.

Once settlement had been established in Salt Lake City, Brigham Young and the

Mormonsmadetheefforttoexpandandgainpoliticalstatureandrecognitioninthe

US. Young tried to appeal to the government for various developments; the

governmentgrantedthembuttherewerealwaysprovisionsandconditionsplaced

upon them, which restricted what the Mormons could achieve, and so they

responded.

DevelopmentofMormonSettlement Provisions/Conditions/Response

1848-BrighamYoungappliedtotheUS

GovernmentfortheMormonlands(salt

lake city) to become a state called

Deseret

-OnlyallowedMormonterritorystatus,

hadtoberunbyfederalofficials

-HadtobecalledUtah

-Smallandhadnoport

US Government appointed Brigham

YoungtobethefirstgovernorofUtah

- Laws made in Washington, not by

Mormons

-B.YthereforeusedtheDanitestocrushoppositionfromnon-Mormons

1857 - US Government sent a non-

Mormon governor to Utah along with

1500soldierstoenforcefederalrule

-AmassacreofmigrantsledtoMormons

blaming Indians, non-Mormons blaming

Danites. The Mountains Meadow

Massacre

-USGovernment changed itsmind and

triedtoreachapeacefulsettlement

The US Government agreed to let the

Mormonslivewithoutinterference

- Utah could not become a state until

theybannedpolygamy

- Mormons agreed to a non-Mormongovernorandbannedpolygamyin1890

TheGoldRush

JamesMarshallfoundgoldinCaliforniain1848.Goldwastheprizedpossessionin

the USand whoever had itwas rich. Therefore,when news leaked, people went

crazywiththeaptlynamedGold-Fever.Mattersweremadeworsebytheboastingof

PresidentPolk,whotoldthecongressoftherichestobefound.Tensofthousandsof

people came to California in 1849 and quickly became known as the 49-ers.

Between 1848 and 1852, the non-Native American population rose from anestimated14,000to225,000people.Manyofthesepeoplelivedincamps;someof


10/20

whichgrew intopermanentmining towns. They travelledalongthe settlers trails

mostlybutsomecamebysea;aroundCapeHornorsailingdowntotheIsthmusof

Panama.Thosewhodidntwanttotrytheirluckatminingcametoruntheservice

industriessuchasstorekeepersandsaloonowners.

*Notallweresuccessful*Thefirstgoldwasfoundbypanningthestreambedsbut

thesesoonbecameexhaustedandsoexpensiveundergroundminingtookover.This

left miners in a Catch 22 situation. Everything was very expensive, including

transport home; thismeanttheyeitherhad towork formining companies infoul

conditions,orstarve.

InthistimetherewasasizeableissuewithLawandOrder.Criminalswereattracted

tothegoldrush,conmen,violentthievesandclaimjumpers,alltryingtogainsome

profit fromthegold-fever.Until1866, theUSAhadnolawregardingmineclaims;

theminers formed theirown system. Theminers courts thatwere formed were

flawed,however,astherewereadistinctlackofprisons.Thismeantthatthedeathsentence,aswascustomary,wascarriedoutwithouttherighttoappeal.Thiswasa

problemidentifiedbysomecivic-mindedpeoplewhoformedcommitteesingrowing

miningtownsandformedfullmunicipalgovernments.

Through all of this, the Native Americans and the Environment sufferedbadly. In

California, the Native American population dropped from 150,000 to less than

30,000during1845-1870.Thiswasaresultofviolentattacks,epidemicsandbeing

drivenoff theirland. Inthetermsofenvironment, the timber requiredformining

supportsuseduptheforestsandthechemicalsusedinminingcausedpollution.

SettlementandHomesteaders

Asmoreandmorepeopletookthisjourney,thelandintheWestbecamelessand

lesswhereasthedemandforlandbecamehigherandhigher.Thishungerforland,

coupledwithotherfactors(below)wassogreatthatsettlementbeganontheGreat

Plains,onceknownastheGreatAmericanDesert.However,thiswasnoeasytask.

*Different homesteaders had different experiences of the Plains depending on

WHEREandWHENtheylived*

Inthe1850ssomesettlerswereontheLowPlains.Thissettlementmovedgradually

alongtheriversandontothedrierlandsbetween,advancingonthelandspreviously

bypassedbythewagontrains.Thissettlement,encouragedbythegovernmentto

link the EastandWest,wasmadeeasier andmore appealing byvariousactsand

legislationimplementedinthisperiod.Theseactsaredetailedbelow:

Act Whatitdetailed

TheHomesteadAct1862 Allowed160acresoflandfreetosettlers

whooccupieditfor5years.Afterthe5

yearsthesettlerscouldownitfor$30TimberandCultureAct1873 Governmentrealisedthat160acres


11/20


12/20

secondaryissuewastheproblemofdirtdiseaseinthesod-houses.Sincethehouses

wereentirelycomposedofdirt;spiders,fleasandallkindsofinsectswouldlivein

thewallsandfloorsofthesodhouses.Theseinsectscouldanddidcarrydangerous

diseases. Therefore, people, clothes and the houses themselves had to be kept

clean;thiswastheroleofthewoman.Thewomenwouldbeconstantlyfightingan

unendingbattleondisease.

Themostprominentissuesarosewhenthemen,thefarmers,triedtoworkonthe

inhospitablePlains.ManyearlyissuesarosewithfarmingonthePlainsbut,astime

wore on, solutions became apparent and the problemswere rectified. The table

belowsetsouttheseissuesandsolutionsinaclearmanner:

ProblemsofFarming Solutions

Lack of Fencing/Wood - No fencing tokeepanimalsoffthelandandstopthem

eatingcropsduetolackofwood

BarbedWireInvented-Inventedin1874by Joseph Glidden. Kept the animals of

thelandandusedverylittlewood

Lack of Water - Temperatures varied

dramatically during the day and night,

veryhottoverycold.Raincamedownin

torrentsveryquickly,but soondriedup

again and so crops didnt get water in

time

WindPumpInvented-Inventedin1854

byDanielHalladay.Allowedwatertobe

pumped from underground using wind

powertodrivethepump.Landcouldbe

irrigatedforcrops

Ploughing-LandonthePlainshadnever

been ploughed before and the rootsofthePrairiegrassthatresidedtherewere

very deep. Ploughs from the East were

notstrongenoughandkeptbreaking

SodbusterPloughs-Inventedin1830by

JohnDeere.Thesewerestrongerploughsthatdidnt breakaseasily astheywere

madefromsteelandnotiron.Theywere

broughtinbytherailroads

Planting - Maize was originally planted

butthiscropcouldntstandtheextreme

changes in temperature. Therefore,

manyharvestsdidnt giveenough crops

for the homesteaders to live on and

makeprofitfrom.

TurkeyRedWheat-Russianimmigrants

broughtanewcroptoplant.Thiswheat

could stand the extreme temperatures

and give a good harvest.Homesteaders

couldmakealivingfromthiscropandso

planteditinsteadofmaize.

Extreme Weather - Not much rainfall,hot weather.Many homesteaders lived

veryfarfromrivers

DryFarming -Thiswasusedafterithadrainedheavily.Alayerofdrysoilwasput

overthewetsoiltopreventtowetsoil

from being exposed to the sun. The

watercouldthenpenetrateandhydrate

thecrops.

NaturalHazards-PlaguesofInsects,

naturalweatherdisasters(hurricanes,

blizzards,etc.)

NoSolutions!


13/20

CattleTrailsandtheCowboys

EarlyRearingandtheCattleTrails

CattlerearingbeganintheAmericanWestinTexas.Thecivilwarlefthugecattle

herds thatwere left free tobreedand prosper in the yearsofconflict. Theearly

cattlethatwasbredandraisedwastheTexasLonghorn.Itwashardyandhadathick

hide tosurvive the harshclimateand the subsequent journeyNorth. The journey

NorthhadtobeundertakenduetothehugedemandforbeefintheNorthbutthe

factthatthecattlesupplywasintheSouth.Theissuewastransportingthecattleup

to the North and therefore, as a result, cattle driving and cattle trails came into

existence.Thetablebelowshowsthetrails:

TrailName Detail

Goodnight-Loving

Trail

FromSouthTexastoSanAntonio,WestthenNorthpastFort

Summer,Pueblo,DenverbeforestoppingatCheyenneontheUnionPacificRailroad

WesternTrail FromSouthTexastoSanAntonio,NorththroughDodgeCity

beforestoppingatOgallalaontheUnionPacificRailroad

ChisholmTrail FromSouthorEastTexastoSanAntonio,North/North-Eastto

AbileneandEllsworthontheKansasPacificRailroad

ShawneeTrail FromSouthorEastTexastoSanAntonio,North-EasttoKansas

CityandSedaliaontheKansasPacificRailroad

Thejourneynorthwasveryhardandtiring,thecowboyshadmanyrolestoplayin

ensuringthecattlestayedalive(detailedbelowintheCowboyssection).ThereweremanydangersontheDrives/Trails,whichmadethejobashardaspossible:

Danger Detail

Stampede Usuallyhappenedonthefirstdaysofthedriveswhenthe

cattlewerenervous.

Wildlife Threatfromwolves,scorpionsandpoisonoussnakes.

Water Riversandundercurrentsdangerous.

Indians Unpredictableandstolecowsinlackofbuffalo.

Night Cowboysrelaxandtired,droptheirguard

ArmedMobsvs

TexasFever

Homesteaderswerearmedtostopcattlebeingdrivennear

withadisease,TexasFeverwhichcouldbepassedonto

theirowncows

LackofFood/Water Self-explanatory

Rough

Terrain/Extreme

Weather

Self-explanatory

Weak/Thin/Exhausted

Cattle

Self-explanatory

CattleRustlersand

Robbers

Self-explanatory


14/20

Oncethecowshadbeensuccessfullydrivenitwasimperativethattheybesoldas

soonaspossibleat the best prices, therefore, cow townswere set upasaplace

wherecattlebuyers fromtheNorthandEastcouldmeetthecattledrivers.Itwas

alsoaplacewherethecattlecouldbefattenedupwithrestandsoldatthebest

prices.The1stcowtownwasAbilene.

DevelopmentofCattleRearing

ItsoonbecameapparentthatthedrivingthecattlefromtheSouthwasbynomeans

thebestandmosteffectivemethodofgainingprofits.Therefore,thenewprospect

ofopen-rangecattleranchingonthePlainsbecamemorepopularthandrivingthe

cattle. The drives left problems with unsold cattle as well as the issues with

HomesteadersblockingtrailsandIndiansforcingcowboystopayafeetocontinue

ontheirpath.

TheadvantagesofranchingonthePlainsincluded: -Easiertoraisecattle

-Nodriving=nodangers

-Betterqualitycattle

-Easiertomakeaprofit

-FreeLand

-Betterlivingandworkingconditionsforthecowboysandranchers

JohnIliffsoughttoimproveopen-rangeranchingfurther.Hesawtheadvantagesof

Plains ranchingand experimentedby crossbreeding Texas Longhornwith Durham

andHerefordbulls.Theresultwasmoremeatandmilkwhilstretainingtheabilitytosurviveintheclimate.Aso-calledsuper-cow.

However, just like the trails and driving, the days of open-range ranching were

numbered.Disadvantagesincluded:-OpenRange-cowsareeasilystolen/lost

-Neededranchtobenearwater

-Cattlediseasespreadeasily

-Fightsovercattleownership

Theendofopenrangeranchinghadcome.Itwasacombinationoflongtermand

shorttermfactors.Theflowchart/timelineshowswhathappened:

LT-Highdemandforbeef-Ranchersmakemoney-morecowsontheplains-lower

stocks of grass - toomuch beef - beef demand decreases - fall in beef prices -

ranchesgobankrupt-OthersleavecattleonopenPlains-Grasssupplydiminished

ST-Hotsummersfrom1883-Driedandshrivelledgrass

ST-Thewinterof1886-87-Blizzards,thicksnow,-40/-50C,cowsfrozetodeath

Thewinterwas the finalblow toopen-range ranching. From thenonwards,therewere restrictionsonthe sizeofranches, the amount ofcattleandeverythingwas


15/20

keptinaspecificareabybarbedwire.Thelifeofthecowboychangedforever.Itis

thischangeinthelivesofcowboysthatiscoverednext.

Cowboys

The life of the cowboy changed dramatically asthe developmentofcattle raising

occurred.Theserugged,skilledindividualswerereducedtodoingmundanetasksfor

thecattlebaronsaslifeworeon.Thisisdescribedbelow:

1860s - Cattle

Trails

Thecowboys had tobe skilful and display extraordinary fitness

and endurance. Their jobs included roundingupand protecting

thecattlefromanyofthedangersthatoccurredonthetrails(see

above).Thecowboysthemselveswere taken inhighregard and

demandedrespectfortheiroccupation.

CHANGE CowsMalnourished,HighDemandForBeef,MakeMoreMoney

1870s - Cow

Towns

Asexplainedbefore, the cow townprovideda placewhere the

cattlecouldbefattenedupandallowthecowboystomeetthe

cattle buyers. It was considered that once the cow town was

reachedthatthejobwasdoneandso,sincetheonlyjobofthe

cowboys was to check the pens every do often, the cowboys

becamesimplyriotous.Shoot-outs,gamblinganddrinkingarejust

someofthefeaturesoflifestylechange.

CHANGE DevelopmentofIdeas,HigherDemandforBeef,JohnIliff

1880s - Open

RangeRanching

Once the implementation of open-range ranching came about,

the life of the cowboy once again became about skill and

dedication. Checking boundaries, rounding up cattle, brandingwerealltaskingjobswhich,coupledwithlonghours,meantthe

cowboyswereonceagainrespectedfiguresoffitness

CHANGE PricesofBeefFell,SourcesDrained,ConflictsOverOwnerships,

WinterandSummers,Inventions

1890s - End of

Open Range

Ranching

Aftertheeraofopen-rangeranching,thelifeofthecowboytook

aturnfortheworse.Theenclosedranchesmeantthateverything

was always in order and therefore the cowboys work was

reducedtomundane,rudimentarytaskssuchasrepairingfences.

They subsequently felt deskilled and almost worthless which,

pairedwiththelargeratesofunemployment,ensuredtheworkofthecowboywasneverthesame

TheIndianWars

ThissectionwillhighlightandexplaintheIndianWarsandthevarioustreatiesthat

becameaboutbecauseoftheconflicts.

War/Conflict/Treaty Details

1851-TheFortLaramie

Treaty

In1849,theUSgovernmenthad establishedtreaties

withtheComancheandKiowa,whichstatedthattheIndians would not attack travellers on the Santa Fe


16/20

Trailinreturnforpromisesofland.Governmentagent

ThomasFitzpatrickestablishedtheFortLaramieTreaty

and reacheda similar agreement with the Cheyenne

andArapahoIndians(whowereattackingwagontrails

ontheOregonTrail),promising themthe foothills of

the RockyMountains between the North Platte and

Arkansas rivers. The government also promised to

protectthemandpaythetribes$50,000ayearfor10

years in exchange for the Indians refraining from

attacking the travellers on the Oregon Trail and

allowing the government to construct roads and

militaryposts.

1861-TheFortWiseTreaty WhengoldwasdiscoveredintheRockyMountainsin

1859,thewhitemensurgedthroughthelandsofthe

Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians and established a

settlementandtake-overofthelands,declaringthemColoradoandtakingpossession.ThewhiteAmericans

had broken the Fort Laramie Treaty, and then so

would the Indians. Members of both tribes began

seriousattacksonrailroadsurveyorsandtravellers.In

1861,thegovernmentsummonedthetribalchiefsto

FortWise and forced them toagree toabandon the

terms of the failed Fort Laramie Treaty. The

government therefore established the Fort Wise

treaty,whichhadthesamedetailsastheFortLaramie,

but the land they received was a small reservationbetween the Arkansas River and Sand Creek in

Colorado;ratherthanthefoothillsoftheRockies.The

Indian Chiefs, however, had nopower to force their

people to do anything. Most warriors refused to

accept the Fort Wise Treaty and instead went on a

warpath, raiding mine camps and attacking mail

coaches in Colorado and New Mexico. The carefully

plannedtreatieshadnotworkedforeitherside

1862-LittleCrowsWar LittleCrowandhistribeofSanteeSiouxwerelivingon

a reservation inMinnesota. In1861, the cropsfailedand the compensation that the Santee had been

promised had not arrived fromWashington, leaving

12,000Santeefacingstarvation.InAugust1862,Little

Crowhad had enough and led Santeewarriors inan

attackontheAgency (theorganisation set upby the

government to run the reservation) and took all the

food and provisions before burning the buildings to

theground.Theythenattackedapartyof45USArmy

soldiers coming to deal with the incident, killing

almosthalf.ButbyOctober,2,000Santeehadeitherbeen capturedorsurrendered.Whatwas left of the


17/20

tribewasmovedtoasmallerreservation,CrowCreek

in Minnesota. The land was barren, the water

undrinkableandfoodscarce.SeveralhundredSantee

diedinthefirstwinter.SittingBull,animportantSioux

chief,visitedtheareaandwhathefoundaffectedhis

attitudetosettlersandtheUSgovernment.

1864-TheSandCreek

Massacre

The Cheyenne, under their chief Black Kettle, faced

similar problems on the Sand Creek reservation in

Colorado.The starving Indiansattackedwagon trains

butonlytookfoodandlefttravellersunharmed.After

3 years of raids and attacks, the government, army

and Black Kettle tried to reach an agreement.

Believinghewasunderarmyprotection,BlackKettle

set up camp at Sand Creek. However, Colonel

Chivington, responsible for dealing with the Indians

and protecting settlers, led a dawn raid on BlackKettles camp on 29

th November 1864. Chivingtons

partymassacredover450men,women,childrenand

babies,eventhoughtheywerewavingthewhiteflags

ofsurrender.BlackKettleescapedandcarriednewsof

themassacre toother tribes. The Indians responded

immediately,increasingattacksonwhitepeople.Once

thestoryofthemassacrebroke,boththewhitemen

andIndianswerehorrifiedandcalledforanendtothe

wars. In October 1965, US government gave money

and land in Oklahoma in order for the Cheyenne tostoptheviolenceandrelinquishanylandclaimsthat

previouslyexisted.

1865-68RedCloudsWar The discovery of gold in Montana posed a new

problem for the US government. The need for a

connection between the new gold fields and The

Oregon Trail ledtominerJohn Bozemanestablishing

the Bozeman Trail. TheBozeman Trail, however, ran

straight through the hunting grounds of the Sioux,

subsequentlybreaking the1851FortLaramieTreaty.

The Indians, led by Red Cloud, chief of the LakotaSiouxbeganattackingtravellersontheBozemanTrail.

By 1866, the US government had had enough and

called for talkswith Red Cloud. At the lastmoment,

Red Cloud discovered that the government were

planning on building at least two forts along the

BozemanTrailtoprotecttravellers.Hestormedoutof

the meeting and increased the pressure on the

government, attacking builders of the forts and

soldiers.EquallydeterminedSiouxleaders,SittingBull

and Crazy Horse, joined Red Cloud in this struggle.Coupled with Fettermans Trap (below), a stalemate


18/20

wasachieved.Toresolvethis; inMarch1867,theUS

governmentsetuppeacecommissiontotryandsolve

Indian problemsonce and for all. Itwas agreed that

the treaties were unsuccessful, both parties had

brokenthem,butbothpartiesalsowantedthePlains.

TheUSgovernmentdecidedtheonlysolutionwasto

splittheIndiantribesandputthemseparatelyinsmall

reservations.

1866-FettermansTrap

(PartofRedCloudsWar)

InDecember1866,CaptainWilliamFetterman and a

group of 80 soldiers left Fort Kearney to provide

protection for a wagon train bringing wood for

building. They rode straight into a trap laid by the

Sioux and were wiped out. The Indians surrounded

FortKearneyinaringwitharmedwarriors.Thismeant

theUS army couldnt move outside the fort and no

travellercouldmovealongtheBozemansTrail.Itwasstalemate.

1868-TheFortLaramie

Treaty

TheUSgovernment agreed toabandon threefortsandtheBozemanTrail.

Red Cloud agreed to take his people to areservation in Dakota, stretching from the

BlackHillstotheMissouriRiver.

Red Cloud was pleased with the Treaty. Hebelievedhehadwon.

1876-TheBattleofLittle

BigHorn(partoftheGreat

SiouxWar-1876-1877)

Background

ChiefsCrazyHorseandSittingBullrefusedtoacceptthepeaceof1868.

GoldwasdiscoveredintheBlackHillsin1874. TheSiouxrefusedtoselltheirlandintheBlack

Hills.

ThegovernmentorderedtheSiouxontosmallreservations.WhentheSiouxrefused,they

weredeclared'hostile'.

1876Campaign-BattlePreparation

GeneralPhilipSheridanwassenttodefeattheSioux.

InJune1876USarmies,ledbythegeneralsAlfredTerryandJohnGibbon,metatthe

YellowstoneRiver.

GibbonwassettomarchuptheLittleBighornRiver,andLtColonelGeorgeCusterwas

orderedtomarchroundtheWolfMountains,aspartofatwo-prongedattackontheSioux


19/20

camp.

ToLittleBigHorn

TheSiouxhadbeenjoinedbytheCheyenneandArapaho,makinganarmyofmorethan

3,000warriors,armedwithWinchester

repeatingrifles.

Custermarchedhismenthrough(notround)theWolfMountains,toarriveattheSioux

campfirst.

Custerdividedhis600menintothreegroups.

CustersLastStand

CustersentCaptainFrederickBenteenscouting,andsentMajorMarcusRenoto

attacktheSiouxvillagefromthesouth. Custerheadednorthofthevillagewith215

men.

TheSiouxcutoffbothRenoandCuster.BenteenrescuedReno,butCusterandallofhis

troopslosttheirlives.

TheSiouxwithdrewwhenTerryandGibbonarrived.

TheEndoftheNativeAmericanWayofLife

November

1876

TheUSArmybeganwintercampaignsagainsttheSioux,starving

themintosurrender.ColonelMackenziedestroyedDullKnife's

Cheyennecamp-drivingtheCheyenneintothehillstosurvivethe

winterwithoutanyfood.

January1877 ChiefSittingBullfledtoCanada.HejoinedaWildWestshow,but

eventuallyreturnedtojointhereservation.

October1877 ChiefJosephoftheNezPerctribetriedtofleetoCanada,butwasintercepted."Iwillfightnomoreforever"hevowed.

1879 RichardPrattopenedthefirstboardingschoolforNativeAmerican

children.

1879 TheSiouxweregivencattleandforcedtobecomecattle-herders.

1881-1887 GeronimoledaseriesofrebellionsbytheApachewarriors,but

eventuallyhadtosurrenderandbecomeavegetablefarmer.

1883 TheBureauofIndianAffairsissuedtheCodeofReligiousOffences,

banningNativeAmericanreligiouscustomssuchastheSunDance.


20/20

1887 TheDawesActdividedtheNativeAmericanreservationsbetween

thedifferentfamilies.

1889 TheOklahomaLandRun.Thegovernmentsplit2millionacresof

former'Indianterritory'into160-acreplots,andpeoplehadtorace

toclaimaplot.Theracebeganatnoonon22April1889andbynextdayallthelandwasclaimed.

1890 AmedicinemancalledWovokastartedaGhostDance-althoughit

waspeaceful,theArmy,fearingarebellion,triedtoarrestSitting

Bull,whowastakingpart(hewaskilledduringtheattempt).Then

whenSiouxChiefBigFoot,tryingtoavoidthetrouble,ledhis

peopletoWoundedKneeCreek,theyweremassacredbytheUS

Army.

Documents

Revision Sheet for the American West