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Pacific Telegraph Act
Allowed communication from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast to be quicker and easier. The Pacific Telegraph Company started building west from Nebraska, while the Overland Telegraph Company built east from California. They met in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 24, 1861. -
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Dakota Territory
Became an organized territory of the United States on March 2, 1861. It consisted of the northernmost part of the land from the Louisiana Purchase. It was part of the Minnesota and Nebraska territories until Minnesota became a state in 1858. The Dakota Territory was admitted into the union as two different states, North Dakota and South Dakota, in 1889. -
Homestead Act
Offered free land to any person over 21, including free blacks, who was willing to complete the following three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. The person had to live on the land for five years or more and show the improvements they made in order to acquire the land. The labor put into the land was in exchange for what the land would have actually cost. -
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Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
Construction on the railroad began in 1863 and was finished in 1869. It stretched from sea to shining sea and was a huge factor in helping America achieve Manifest Destiny. It is considered “one of the greatest American technological feats of the 19th century.” The railroad allowed many new advantages for moving out west, like farmers were now able to send their crops back east, families could communicate better, and the move out west was made a lot quicker and easier. -
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Wyoming Territory
Became an organized territory of the U.S. on July 25, 1868. The boarders of the territory were the same as the current state of Wyoming. The territory was located between the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Country and the Mexican Cession. The U.S. acquired parts of the Wyoming territory on different occasions, like in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. The Wyoming territory was admitted into the union as the state of Wyoming in 1890. -
General Mining Act
Authorized prospecting and mining for minerals, like silver and gold, on federal public lands. The law was approved on May 10, 1872. Any U.S. citizen over 18 years of age could now locate a mining claim on federal land. It started a gold rush much like the California Gold Rush in 1849 -
Gold Rush in the Black Hills
Took place in Dakota Territory. The Black Hills belonged to the Sioux Tribe according to the Treaty of Laramie in 1868. Despite the treaty, Americans still took over the land for mining purposes. The gold rush started because of a belief of gold on the land. The first actual discovery of gold however, did not take place until 1887. -
Dawes Act
Split Indian Tribal Land into smaller pieces of land for the Indians to use if they agreed to abide by the same laws as every other American. The Indians who chose not to follow the rules that came with living on the land set aside for them were sent to live on reservations. The majority of the land that was not given to the Indians was auctioned off to the highest white bidder.