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Buffalo Extinction
People wanted the fur, skin, and meat of the American Buffalo. The Government further encouraged the killing of buffalo to starve out Native Americans. It then became a sport where people would ride on trains and shoot them for fun. -
Discoveries of large amounts of gold & silver
James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This sparked the Gold Rush of 1848. -
Jesse James
Jesse James was an American Outlaw from Missouri. He became famous from robbing banks, murder, and leading gangs. After his death, he was classified under ex-confederate outlaws. -
Growth of New Towns & Cities to support cattle, mining, and farming industries.
Oftan called "Boomtowns", these cities popped up near rivers or wherever there was available resources. They usually appeared when precious metals were found in that area. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed by Abraham Licoln. Anyone 21 years of age or older, who had never comitted a crime, could qualify for a land grant. There was a residency requirement as well where you had to be living on the land. -
The Shift from Long Drive to Cattle Ranching
Cattle was brought over the long distances from their pastures to the market or auction where they would be sold. This was hard to do because there was sometimes very little grass to graze on and the cattle could get diseases, or die. Therefore, farmers switched to ranches so they could be in one place. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The plans for the railroad were sumitted to Congress in 1845. Construction started in 1863 and finished in 1869. It connects the eastern U.S. to the western U.S. -
Barbed Wire
The patent for barbed wire was issued to Lucien B. Smith from Kent Ohio. Barbed wire fences were used to restrain cattle and they were the cheapest fence to build and maintain. -
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Wild West Shows
Wild West shows were traveling shows that went all across America and Europe. Shows introduced Western personalities. Were often false descriptions of how people in the west acted. -
Dawes Act
A law that said the president of the United States could survey land and divide it into plots for individual Native Americans. Named after Henry Laurens Dawes of Massachusetts. The purpose was to make Natives join the rest of the American Society.
