The Wild Wild West

Geography of the West Towns in Missouri were thought to be

the end before the frontier Frontier – unsettled land in western

United States The West is considered states beyond

the Rocky Mountains like Oregon, California, etc.

There are deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes, basins, plateaus, mesas, & even a volcano in the West

Influence of Railroads Railroads helped settle the West Trains carried resources like: minerals,

timber, crops, & cattle to the East coast Trains also carried miners, ranchers, &

farmers to settle the West Trains & Native Americans – not friends

Train routes often went through the routes of the animals they hunted or even through their own lands

Go West, Why? Before the Civil War, the South did not want the land in the

West settled They feared more non-slave territories

Government decided it was time to settle the west by offering free land

Homestead Act – You can have 160 acres for free if you live on it for 5 years and improve it

Many African Americans settled in Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, & Illinois after the Civil War

The Railroads were growing It’s easier to head west

Challenges in the West Many challenges faced the people who moved West

There were no trees, so houses were built from sod (thick grass)

Had to dig wells for water Blizzards, hailstorms, tornados, fires, drought Insects ate crops

New inventions helped some of the challenges Steel plow – helped farming & built sod houses Windmills – helped pump water from wells Barbed wire – kept cattle in or out Reapers & threshers – helped harvest crops

Mining in the West Gold has struck again in Nevada, Colorado,

& South Dakota People raced to go to these areas Boomtowns appeared due to gold strikes Boomtown – a town that has a sudden

burst of population & economic growth When the gold & other mined resources ran

out people moved to the next town Boomtowns became ghost towns

Cattle Drives Cattle ranching made big money for 20 years Ranchers hired cowhands to drive cattle from

Texas to Kansas Vaqueros – 1st cowhands came from Mexico Cattle was put on trains & sent east Cattle driving was very difficult - you had to keep

the cows or “the money” together Obstacles were: nature, thieves, & Native

Americans

Native American Life Most Plains tribes lived in villages The Spanish brought horses in the 1500’s to the

Native Americans & changed their way of life Horses helped travel & hunting buffalo All parts of the buffalo were used: food, clothing,

blankets, tools, jewelry, etc. Now Native Americans could travel with the buffalo

The Government Lies The Native Americans were promised no one

would take their land (HA! We know better) When the settlers kept whining they wanted

more land the government broke their promise The government set up “boundaries” or

“reservations” for the Native Americans Some Native Americans went along with this

while others resisted Sand Creek Massacre – The Cheyenne fought

back & the militia killed 150 tribe members

Native American Leaders Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse – Sioux chiefs who

tried to push settlers off their land Chief Joseph – Nez Perce chief said, “It makes

my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises.”

Geronimo – an Apache leader who resisted to being put on a reservation

No matter how hard they tried, unfortunately the Native Americans ended up on reservations anyway

Dawes Act There were people who actually believed what we

had done to the Native Americans was wrong An idea of assimilation was discussed as a way

for Native Americans to “fit in” to white culture Dawes Act – encouraged Native Americans to

give up their customs to become farmers on reservations Not all Native Americans wanted to be farmers If they did want to be farmers, they weren’t

given the tools or technology the white man had, so it was very difficult

Women in the West Life was challenging for women in the West

Life was lonely due to few neighbors & women did not go into town with the men

Women were doctors, nurses, cooks, mothers, teachers, & responsible for the homestead

Homestead – a piece of land & the house on it The Western states acknowledged the importance

of women Wyoming was the first state to fight for women’s

right to vote Soon after Colorado, Utah, and Idaho stood up for

women too

Western Cities

Cities grew for a few reasons Gold & precious mineral strikes A “refueling” or supply renewal point Railroad stops

Many cities did not have formal laws or government Cities & towns were rough Some people took the law into their own hands Vigilantes made their own rules

Don’t Forget Us There were many groups of people who helped

make the West what it is today Vaqueros – the 1st cowhands from Mexico African Americans – cattle ranchers &

western army soldiers Chinese immigrants – builders of the railroad

in the West Native Americans – promises broken &

forced to leave their homes Pioneers – all those crazy, um, I mean brave

people who took a chance

Closing the Frontier Fenced in fields replaced open plains In Oklahoma thousands of people rushed at

the sound of a gun shot to claim land for themselves – 2 million acres were sold

The frontier meant opportunity for many You could make something of yourself if you

moved West You could start a new life A good day - was a day of good, hard work

How the West has influenced us today… Cowboy boots & hats Blue Jeans Leather goods (bags, coats, vests, suspenders, etc.) Home remedies (Hiccups – drink water while standing on your head)

Saddles Stories (Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Jesse James) movies, books, poems, songs Railroad growth & travel Food - apples, potatoes, salt water taffy Activities – rodeos, card games, bull riding Patterned clothing Treasure hunts Pony Express – the 1st post office Bandanas

Slang of the “Wild West” Big Bug - - an important person Coffee boiler - - a lazy person Dude - - a person from the East Fandango - - a big party Fetch - - Bring or give Fork over - - to pay Fuss - - disturbance Get a wiggle on - - hurry up Grand - - excellent beautiful Hobble your lip - - be quiet Howdy - - hello In apple pie order - - in tip top shape Jig is up - - it is over Pass the buck - - to avoid responsibility Pull in your horns - - Back off! Skedaddle - - RUN! Stumped - - confused

Sources Garcia, Jesus, et.al. (2003). Creating

America. Chapter 19 Sections 1-4. McDougal Littell. Evanston, Illinois.

Atwater, G.M. “Western Slangs & Phrases.” A Writer’s Guide to the Old West. October 26, 2006. April 21, 2007. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~poindexterfamily/OldWestSlang.html