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Extintion of Buffalos in 1800's
Due to heavy populations and immigration in the 1800’s moving out west, there was a need for food and items to trade. Also, the killing of buffalos was highly encouraged by the US government because it helped to drive out the Native American tribes who lived there, giving us more land. The killing of these animals became so intense that travelers on long train trips the would shoot them, and this eventually caused the population of this animals to go from hundred millions to thousands, however, -
growth of new towns and cities to support cattle, mining, and farming industries
Mining encouraged the growth of towns in the West because many people wanted gold and become rich. Railroads also helped the growth of new towns and cities because it helped people travel long distances in a shorter amount of time, so they could go out West and settle there as well as build towns and cities which would then make the economy go through the roof. -
Shift from “long drive” to “cattle ranching”
Long drives moved large herds of livestock to market, to shipping points, or to find fresh pasturage. The practice was introduced to North America during European Colonization. Cattle Ranching is a more extensive way of raising cattle, often times with horses too, with over 1,000 acres of land. -
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was a well known gang leader, bank and train robber, and murderer who lived in Missouri and was from the gang known as the James-Younger gang. Being born in 1847 and dying in 1882, James and his brothers were active in this gang around 1866 until 1876, when a failed bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota resulted in many of their members being captured. In 1882 Jesse James was killed by one of his own gang members, because they were looking for a profitable reward for his head -
Discovery of large amounts of gold and silver
The large discoveries of gold and silver starting in 1848 and lasting until 1855 was called the California Gold Rush, and it was started by James W Marshall Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This brought many people out West in search for gold, and even though many say that it wasn’t worth it, it helped us to expand, as it brought about 300,000 people. Starting with about 200 people in 1846, it grew to about 36,000 in 1852 which caused more roads and towns to be built, leading up to the legis -
The Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. It encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land. -
Transcontinential Railroad
Connected the railway network of the Eastern coast with California, the mainline was officially completed on May 10, 1869. Building the railroad was motivated to connect California to the Union during the Civil War. The railroad replaced the slower, and more dangerous wagon trains, Pony Express, and stagecoach lines that crossed the country. -
Creation of Barbed Wire
Changed the West from vast prairies to a land of farming, and widespread settlement. Instead of cattle and sheep roaming anywhere they wanted, the wire was used as fence to keep them in a designated area. The wire was also cheaper, quicker, and easier to use than any other fencing material. -
Buffalo Bills Wild West shows
William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody opened these shows, also knows as “Buffalo Bill’s wild west show” in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1883. Already being in the industry, Buffalo Bill was able This quickly became a popular form of entertainment, and it helped to make the idea of outdoor shows grow. I -
Dawes Acts of 1886
The Dawes Act of 1886 was adopted by Congress 1887, it allowed the president to survey American Indian land and divide it into allotments for individual Indians. The Indians who accepted the allotments and lived separately from the tribe would be granted United States citizenship. But then on June 18, 1934, while President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office, the US Indian Reorganization Act was passed, it ended allotment and created a “New Deal” for the Indians that included renewing their righ