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Boom Towns
Boom towns popped up in the West as more and more settlers moved in. These towns grew up around places rich in natural resources, like gold or farmland. Boom towns were key economic centers in the west, and many, like Sacremento, are still major cities today. -
Jesse James
Jesse James was a famous outlaw of the Old West. He was involved in bank robberies, train heists, murders, and gangs. During the Civil War, Jesse and his brother were part of a Confederate guerilla unit, fighting the North. Jesse was killed by Robert Ford, a gang member who wanted the money on James's head. -
Gold Rush
On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in Califronia. This led to a mass migration of people west, searching for riches. Small towns in California and all over the west were transformed into boom towns and cities, and more natives were evicted from their homes or killed. -
Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act was an attempt to bring more settlers west. The Act offered new settlers 160 acres of public land for a small fee and the promise of five years of continuous residence, at which time the land would be given to the settlers. Settlers also had the option, six months in, to buy the land for $1.25 per acre. -
Shift- Long Drive to Cattle Drive
Long driving was the practice of moving large herd of cattle from their grazing area to market where they could be sold. These trails could be hundreds of miles long, and could take up to two months. This process was eventually phased out as new modes of transportation made the herds easier to move and brought meat-packing industries closer. -
Barbed Wire
Barbed wire was a cheap, easy way for farmers in the west to prevent livestock from eating their crop. Although tensions did escalate, as ranchers had a much more difficult time driving cattle with these fences put up, these ranchers found that barbed wire could keep animals in and the unwanted out. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad opened the west for settlement. People could travel west farther and faster than ever before, giving life to a new wave of pioneers. -
Wild West Shows
Wild West shows were traveling theaters that brought the Old West to new audiences. One of the most popular shows was Buffalo Bill's Wild Wild West, and included such performers as sharpshooter Annie Oakley. These shows glamorized the Old West into the vision we have today, that of gunfights and train robberies. -
Dawes Act of 1887
The Dawes Act allowed the President to break up Native Americn lands into small, individual properties. Natives who chose to seperate from their tribe and live in these allocated areas would become U.S. citizens. -
Extinction of Buffalo
Buffalo were widely hunted in the 1800's for their fur, meat, and skin.The United States government also promoted the act of slaughtering these biffalo as a means to starve out Native Americans. The species was reduced from hundreds of millions to under one thousand.
