Post on 31-Dec-2015
description
transcript
Miners, Ranchers, & Cowhands
Growth in the West 1860-1900
Chapter 19, Section 1
Essential Questions:
• Is the success or failure of a country related to that country’s geography? Will certain countries always be successful? Will certain countries always be cursed?
• How did the geography of the West promote economic opportunities for settlers? Why did people move out West?
• What is the geography of the Great Plains Region of the U.S.?
• What are the dangers of vigilante justice?
The Frontier (1860)
The Great Plains:• Area of the United
States from Missouri River/Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains
• Settler Were NOTNOT Attracted to the Great Plains
• Rolling Plains, Dry Plateaus, Deserts
Impact of the Railroads:
• Railroads Brought Natural Resources (Minerals, Timber, Crops, Cattle) from the West to Eastern Factories & Markets
• Trains Brought Miners, Ranchers & Farmers Out West
Railroads’ Impact on Native Americans?
Silver & Gold Rush:Colorado & Nevada
• Over 100,000 Miners Rushed Out to Pikes Peak, CO in Search of Gold
• Miners Rushed Out to Comstock Lode, NV in Search of Silver & Gold
Boomtowns
• A Town that has a Sudden Burst of Economic or Population Growth
• San Francisco, Denver, (Gold Rush)
• Was Valhalla a Boomtown?
More Gold Strikes!
• 1874 – Gold Strike in Black Hills, SD
• 1891 – Gold Strike at Cripple Creek, CO
• 1896 – Gold Strike in Yukon Territory (Canada)
• Hopeful Miners Came From All Over the World:– Europe– South America– Mexico– China
Early Miners: Panning & Sluicing
• Most Miners Never Found Gold & Went Broke!
• Early Miners Panned & Sluiced:– Very Ineffective!
• Most Miners Sold their Land to Large, Rich, Mining Companies!
Large Mining Companies
• Large Mining Companies Bought Miners Lands:– REAL CHEAP Because
they Went BROKE!
• Companies Had the $$$ to Buy Drilling Equipment!
• Used Water Cannons, Dynamite, Drilled Underground Shafts (Tunnels to Drill in the Mountains)
Mining: A Tough Life• Companies Owned
the Mines – NOTNOT the Workers!
• Miners Had a Tough Life(Still Do Today)– Poor Pay– Deadly Cave Ins– Breath in Dust– Lung Problems
New States From Mining:
• 3 States Were Added to the Union:–Nevada–Colorado–South
Dakota
Rise of the Cattle Industry
• Extension of Railroad Lines into the Frontier Helped Bring Cattle to the East
• Beef was VERY Expensive in the East! WhyWhy?
The “Man with the Plan!”• Joseph McCoy was an
Illinois Livestock Dealer – Lived Outside Chicago
• Realized Railroads Could Bring Beef to the East (MORE $$$)
• Just Had to Get Cattle from Texas to a Town with a Railroad
• Hired Cowhands & Vaqueros for the Long Drives
Joseph McCoy & The Long Drives
• Joseph McCoy Started the Long Drives:– Bought Cattle in Texas,
Let them Feed on the Frontier (No Cost)
– Hired Cowhands & Vaqueros to Take them North to Abilene, KA
– Cattle was Sold for 10x10x More, Processed, Put on Trains, & Brought to the East
• Beef/Leather/Belts/ Shoes/Jackets/Etc…
YouTube Long Drives
Vaqueros (Cowboys)• Vaqueros Were the 1st
Ever Cowboys/ Cowhands
• They Taught American Cowboys How to Rope & Ride Cattle
• Brought Cattle North on the Long Drives
• 1 Out of 3 Vaqueros Were Either Mexican or African Americans (Former Slaves)
The Wild, Wild West• In Your Own Words?
• On the Frontier & In Developing Towns, NONO Government! No Police Officers
• A lot of Drinking/ Gambling/ Stealing
• Billy the Kid
Vigilantes• For Protection,
Citizens Formed Vigilantes
• Took the Law into Their Own Hands!
• Usually Hangings or Shootings on the Spot!
• What’s Wrong with this?
Reasons Why the Cattle Industry Collapsed• Too Much BEEF!
– Prices Dropped from $30 to $7
• Barbed Wire! – Settlers Fenced in Their
Lands (Cattle Had Nothing to Eat & Can’t Get to the Railroad Towns)
• Bad Winter on the Plains (1886-1887)– Thousands of Cattle
Died – Ranchers Went Out of Business
Essential Questions:
• Is the success or failure of a country related to that country’s geography? Will certain countries always be successful? Will certain countries always be cursed?
• How did the geography of the West promote economic opportunities for settlers? Why did people move out West?
• What is the geography of the Great Plains Region of the U.S.?
• What are the dangers of vigilante justice?