The West Timeline.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Mar 11, 1824

This was made for someone to run this department in the United States Government. Native Americans have to themself. They can follow their laws and rules inside of this reservation as long as it isn't breaking any of the countries laws. Both American Citizens and Native Americans agreed with this because they get the land they want and the Native Americans can also follow their beliefs and no one can bother them.

Indian Removal Act

May 28, 1830

This was passed so that the president could negotiate with the Indians for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River. This did not make the Indians happy, but the Americans liked it because they wanted the land that the Indians were on.

Comstock Lode

Mar 14, 1859

This was one of the very first major discoveries that cause people to go to the major gold rush in the west. Although this is not gold, it was silver, it caused people to move west so that they were hoping that they would find riches.

Little Crow's War

Aug 17, 1862

This war started because the Indians believed that the USA was breaking many treaties and not treating them fairly. Plus they killed off many animals. Because of this, they became hungry and couldn't find anything to eat. The war ended in Mankato, Minnesota.

Bear River Massacre

Jan 29, 1863

The Bear River Massacre was a little Battle that happened when the United States attacked an Indian group. They attacked them near Bear River that was around Washington. The Indians did not like it.

Cheyenne Uprising

Mar 14, 1863

They agreed to a treaty and moved on to the Sand Creek Reservation. But the land was very poor. It was almsot impossible for them to survive. They began to attack wagons and steal the food. This caused the americans to get very mad. The Indians did it just so that they could survive.

Sand Creek Massacre

Nov 29, 1864

John Chivington and his militia attack a Cheyenne village. People did not like it because they wanted to make allies with the Native Americans but if they keep attacking them they won't. Also Americans did like it because they wanted to move them to their reservation.

Homestead Act

Mar 14, 1866

This gave southerners atleast 160 acres of land to farm, raise cattle, or whatever they wanted to do with it. Everyone that it involved enjoyed it because they all got their way.

Fetterman Massacre

Dec 21, 1866

In this massacre the Indians killed all 81 of the men in the United States Army. This made the USA drop out of the Red Clouds War against the Indians. This worried the Americans, but for the Native Americans this gave themcomfort and confidence.

Red Cloud's War

Jun 14, 1867

Sioux Chief, Red Cloud, was very mad when americans started passing through a trail that went right through the Sioux Hunting grounds. This caused the animals to be startled and they would run away. Then the Indians couldn't find no game to kill. The americans did not care what they did, while this made the Indians very mad.

Fort Laramie Treaty

Apr 12, 1868

This was a treaty for the Sioux Indians. This treaty gave hunting land to the Sioux Indians, and it was only their hunting land. It made them happy because they could hunt all over that land without any one else coming onto their property. SO they could get their own buffalo and whatever else they wanted to hunt.

Completion of Trans-Cont RR

May 10, 1869

This was the first railroad that went through the United States. This made the citizens very happy because they were now able to travel faster. Ship things faster, and give news to other people faster. This also stopped the Pony Express.

Cattle Drives

Mar 14, 1870

Cattle Drives were always happening. Cowboys would drive cattle all over the western grounds. The farmers though did not like when cowboys did this. Because the cattle would eat and destroy their farming crops. This led to the invention of barbed wire.

Indian Appropriations Act

Mar 14, 1871

With this act this stated to not see Indians as Indians but as, normal citizens. They help us out we help them out. They are trying to get closer with eachother.

Camp Grant, AZ Appache Massacre.

Apr 30, 1871

The Americans believed that the land that they had was too much so they got in a war over that. The Appache tried running away but the Americans caught them near the side of a river. They caught them and the Native Americans surrendered to them.

Bill Cody's "WIld West Show"

Dec 14, 1872

They were WIld West Shows. Bill Cody was known as Buffalo Bill. The show was about thier lives and just wandered and traveled around. People enjoyed it and thought it was funny and very interesting.

The Lakota War

Mar 14, 1876

It was a war with the Sioux and the Americans. As gold was discovered the americans started coming in and started settling in the Native American lands and they did not like that. So they d=started fighting and it did not turn out well. The Americans wanted to get rid of Indians and the Indians wanted to get rid of the Americans.

Battle of Little Bighorn

Jun 25, 1876

The United States Army started a war with some Native Americans because they tried moving them to the reservations that they have for them. The americans agreed with it because they wanted the Indians in their reservations but the Native Americans didn't agree with it because they wanted to live where they were living because they had the land first.

Dead mans Hand

Aug 2, 1876

It is considered of black aces and black 8s. It is called the Dead Mans hand because thats what Wild Bill had in his hand of cards when he was shot. He was a gambler and killed many peopl.e When he was gambling he was shot and the dead mans hand is what he was holding in his hand.

Desert Land Act

Mar 3, 1877

The desert land act tried to push american citizens to the western states of the united states because they wanted them to settle there because the eastern states were getting kind of crowded. The people thought it would be interesting but cool to live in the western states so some of them did try to do it.

Capture of Nez Perce

Oct 5, 1877

Cheif Joseph was leading the run away for the Nez Perce Indians. But on the way through the Elders and the Children got tired so, just short of where freedom was they took a break. The Troops caught up to him and they captured him. So he surrendered to them. The United States liked it but the Native Americans did not. They were so close to being free but they just couldn't get to freedom.

Pratt Boarding School

Nov 1, 1879

Pratt opened up a school for Native Americans. He wanted to teach them english and he wanted to teach them all about the American style and way of things. He opened it up on November 1, 1879. People thought it was a good idea and Native Americans also thought that it was a good idea.

A Century of Dishonor -- By Helen Hunt Jackson

Mar 14, 1881

This was a non-fiction book that Helen Hunt Jackson wrote that explained and said the struggles that the Native Americans went through. How harsh it was on them, how the americans had it easy, what the Indians had to do to try and fix these problems that they had faced.

Billy the Kid

Jul 14, 1881

Billy the Kid was a young male that was said killed 21 men. But in reality they believe he only shot 8. He was a cowboy/rancher. He was shot and people did not like it.

Capture of Geronimo

Sep 4, 1886

Geronimo and his followers were trying to run from the UNited States because they didn't want to go into their reservation that they US. wanted them to go to. They were caught and surrendered at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. The U.S. liked it because they were getting more people into the reservations, but the NAtive Americans didn't like it because they wanted to be free.

Dawes Act

Feb 8, 1887

Federal Law passed to protect the property rights of the Native Americans. Everyone agreed with it. It had to happen because they needed to also protect the rights of the Native Americans and couldn't disrespect them.

Wounded Knee Massacre

Dec 29, 1890

This war started by a deaf Native American not giving up his rifle because he tried to state that he paid for it. After him and an army leader were fighting for it the gun accidently fired. Then the war started. They were fighting. The Native Americans did not like that there was another war. The Americans wanted to move all of the NAtive American tribes to their reservations that they were supposed to be at.

Forest Reserve Act

Mar 14, 1891

The Forest Reserve Act was for the United States to set aside land that was Forests for their own right. They wanted to preserve some land and made them National Forest's that people could visit but if they damaged any of it, it would cost them money for vandalism on United States property. People thought that it was a good idea so not all of the Forest's were destroyed.

Turner Thesis

Mar 14, 1893

This was the argument that Turner had that he thought the american democracy was formed by the frontier. He explained the process, including the moving of the frontier line. People read into this and thought that it was interesting. Some people read it and agreed, others read it and thought it was really uneducated and stupid.

Carey Act

Aug 18, 1894

This allowed private companies in the US to have their own irragation systems. They allowed them to do this so that they could move water to different places. This helped the small companies out a lot!