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Growth of New Towns, and Cities to Support Cattle, Mining and Farming Industries
Mining helped the growth of towns in the West because people wanted to be rich and find gold. -
Jesse James Assassination
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri. He was alsoa member of the James-Younger gang. Bob Ford shot Jesse in the back when Jesse was standing on a chair, dusting a picture frame before a robbery one morning. -
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. -
Homestead Act
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act 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. -
Barbed Wire
Many individuals created their own type of barbed wire fence, but it never made the mass market. In 1863, Michael Kelly developed the first type of barbed wire fence. Barbed wire was mainly used to keep animals from escaping, and replaced many wooden fences used. -
Transcontinental Railroad System
The transcontinental railroad systems were started in 1863 and completed and ready to use on May 10, 1869. The first transcontinental railroad was built crossing the western half of America, it was 1,776 miles long. The transport of goods was made much faster, cheaper, and more flexible. -
Shift from “long drive” to “cattle ranching”
Cowboys would work in shifts that lasted 24 hours of a day. the cowboys drove the cattle long distances across land. About 25 minutes per day. -
Extinction of Buffalo in 1800's
as the population moved west people began to slaughter buffalo for skin trade. Buffalo slaughter was encouraged by the U.S. government to starve the native tribes. By 1890 buffalo population was down to only about 1800. Because of the us government there are almost 500,000 buffalo in america. -
Wild West Shows
In 1883 the first prototypical wild west show was formed. Wild west shows were performances that contained a lot of excitement and were very fun to watch. Wild animals, majic tricks, theatrical reenactments, and many frontiersmen were in the show. -
Dawes Act of 1887
Approved on February 8, 1887, "An Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various Reservations," known as the Dawes Act, emphasized severalty, the treatment of Native Americans as individuals rather than as members of tribes.
