-
The Fort Laramie Treaty
This treaty was established at Fort Laramie. It was between the US government and Indian tribes. It pushed the Indians on a smaller territory and gave them supplies. Eventually miners discovered gold on the territory that was given to the Indians. They broke the treaty and entered the territory. This lead to Chivington’s Massacre. -
Period: to
The Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was discovered in Virginia City, Nevada. It was an area that was full of gold and silver. It attracted thousands of miners. Boomtowns quickly arose all around the site. Once most of the gold and silver ran out, in 1874, most of the miners left and the boomtowns became ghost towns. The lode attracted so many people that the US government was able to admit Nevada in 1864. -
Homestead Act
This was enacted during the Civil War. It gave any citizen 160 acres of land. This encouraged many to go out and get the land, but few were able to afford to build a farm, buy tools, or supplies. This just made them poorer. A lot of the land went to big businesses who then resold it at a higher price. -
Period: to
Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
The transcontinental railroad started in Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California. The government funded this project and encouraged them to lay more rails. They claimed the territories that the rails were in, including Indian territories. The construction of the railroad ended in a ceremony in which a golden spike was used to lay the last rail. The completion of the railroad yielded new opportunities for America. This project united America. It also gave easy transport to and from the West. -
Nevada
-
Chivington's Massacre
This was a surprise attack on an Indian group. 1,200 men attacked a few hundred Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek. The white flag was raised by the Cheyenne but Chivington kept on attacking. This infuriated US citizens. Eventually this led to the Plains Indian Wars. -
Period: to
The Cattle Kingdom
The Cattle Kingdom began when a high demand for meat in the West arose. Cowboys had to lead the cattle, Texas Longhorns, north to the railroad. They took trails such as the Chisholm, Shawnee, and Good Night Loving trails. The cowboy lost his way of life because of farmers and sheepherders. The farmers fenced off their territory with barbed wire eliminating the "open range" for cattle drives. -
Invetion of Barbed Wire
Barbed wire was invented to protect and define farmers' property lines. It greatly threatened the cowboys. With these new property lines, cowboys couldn’t roam through open fields because they were now closed off. It was originally invented by Michael Kelly. -
Colorado
-
Oklahoma Land Rush
This was an event that in which, if you claimed a plot of land then you could have it. The reason that this event took place was to encourage people to move out west. There were some who cheated in this event. They were called “sooners” because they entered the territory before it was time to enter. This lead to many disputes over land. This gave many Americans another start.
