Peopling the (already plenty peopled) Plains
Settlers Head West
• Huge culture clash between settlers and Native Americans on the plains– Land ownership, hunting practices, etc– Settlers feel Native Americans have forfeited rights
to the land because the refuse to settle on it– Also attracted by gold/silver mining
Government Regulation
• Because of settlement (remember the early-1800’s term for the westward expansion?), government forces treaties on many Native tribes
• Many are resentful, disregard treaties’ rules• Conflict ensues– Sand Creek massacre – soldiers kill 150+ Cheyenne and
Arapaho, many women and children– Battle of the Hundred Slain/Fetterman Massacre – Crazy
Horse ambushes company of soldiers on Bozeman trail– Sioux Uprising - a little Minnesota history – settlers killed in
SW MN (predominantly), Henry Sibley leads soldiers to put down uprising
Wars continue• Treaty of Fort Laramie forced on Sioux, settles them along
Mississippi– Red River War – fighting in Red River area of Texas– Custer’s Last Stand – 7th Cavalry defeated by group of Sioux and
Cheyenne, but only temporary victory• Dawes Act (1887) – aimed at “Americanizing” or assimilating
Native Americans– Give reservation land to Native Americans to settle, sell the
remainder of the land to settlers and use proceeds to help Natives by farm implements • Most of land sold off, no money goes to the Native Americans
• Wounded Knee – Custer’s old unit rounds up about 350 struggling Sioux, demand they give up weapons– A shot is fired by someone, and the soldiers decimate the Sioux
group
Growth of Cattle Industry
• Demand for beef increases after Civil War• Rise of ranching in Texas, growth of stock
yards and meat packing centers as well• Faced difficulty from weather and overgrazing– Many ranchers turn to smaller herds, fence them
in with new invention(?)
Aspects of Settlement
• Government give land grants to RR companies to encourage expansion– Turn around and sell the extra land at a cheap
price – sell to farmers/settlers and also recruit European investment
• Government passes Homestead Act (1862) – offers 160 acres of free land to any head of household
Meeting the Challenges of the Plains
Challenges• Drought• Flood• Fires• Blizzards• Locusts• Outlaws• Native raids• Tough living conditions• Burdens of self-sufficiency
New Technologies• Steel plow• Mechanical reaper• Spring-tooth harrow• Grain drill• Barbed wire