Westward Expansion

RanchersRanchers herded cattle on long drives to the railroad cow towns to be taken to Chicago to be made into goods such as food , leather, and tallow.

PEOPLE WHO MOVED WEST

MinersThe west was a new mineral resource for our country, especially gold and silver.

HomesteadersIn 1862, the Homestead Act granted people 160 acres of land only if they were at least 21, built a house and lived on the land for 5 years. This gave an opportunity for many people to move west.

ExodustersFormer slaves started their new lives and were given land and had to do what the Homesteaders were supposed to do.

Land of the Great PlainsThe Great Plains was flat land with rolling hills. Some called it a treeless wasteland or The Great American Desert .

It also had dry, tough soil.

Transcontinental RailroadThis helped the economy grow fast by moving raw materials to factories and finished products to the market.

The railroad shipped the cattle to be processed.

Inventions and AdaptationsSteel plow helped farmers plant more crops and get through the rough and tough soil of the Great Plains

WindmillsThese were used to pump water out of the ground and generate power.

Barbed WireHelped farmers keep the cattle out of their crop fields

Conflict with Native AmericansThey were put on reservations to hunt their own food and then settlers could have more land . The Nez Perce were led by Chief Joseph to try to flee to Canada but were stopped before the border. His famous words were “I will fight no more…forever.” This is also what led to the Battle of Wounded Knee.

Sometime they would leave the reservation to try and hunt for buffalo and that led to more conflict.

This picture shows how the settlers were competing for the buffalo with the Native Americans… these are buffalo skulls.