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1860-1880 Cattle Drive/Meatpacking Industry
Union Stock Yard in Chicago was one of the biggest meat packing industries and for awhile lead the industry. Most meat packing plants were run by railroad companies which would by swampland and turned it into a centralized processing area. As a result of all the industries in Chicago, it became known as the “Hog Butcher of the World”. The meat packing plants helped revolutionize refrigeration, transportation, and it inspired the idea of Henry Ford's assembly line. -
1865-85 Decline of Buffalo
The population of buffalo declined dramatically through the 1860’s and 1880’s. Indians had hunted and killed the buffalo for their meat, skin, and bones and kept the population even until settlers came and provided them with guns and other advanced weapons. In the 1860’s the buffalo disappeared in the South by over hunting and proceeded to everywhere else. This made the Indians loose food sources and almost wipe out the population of buffalo. -
1869 Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was constructed between 1863 and 1869. It is a 1,907 mile long railroad stretching from Western United States, to San Francisco Bay. Was built by three private railroad companies: Western Pacific Railroad Company, Central Pacific Company of California, and Union Pacific Railroad Company. The road established a merchandised transcontinental transportation network that revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West by bringing in the western states and -
1870s Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane
James Butler Hickok was a lawman and gambler, known as a folk character (wild bill). He was born and raised on a farm than in his later life he moved out west at the age of 18. While he lived in the west he was known as a frontier man in Kansas and Nebraska. Meanwhile Calamity Jane didn’t have her life together she was also a famous frontier women and a performer. Her and James were stories told to the Americans that lived on the east coast. The stories told the old life in the west (cowboys and -
1871-1877-Chief Joseph-Nez Perce
Chief Joseph was born in Wallowa Valley during the 1840s. His tribe gave him the name of Thunder Rolling Down The Mountain which he changed to Chief Joseph when he was converted to Christianity. Him and Washington helped set up a reservation of land for the Native Americans called Nez Perce. The lands stretched from Oregon to Idaho. When the government found out gold was in the reservations they took back 6 million acres of land. -
1872-Montgomery Ward Mail Order Catalog(How it develops in the West)
The Montgomery Ward Mail Order Catalog was the very first business to make availability of at home shopping. Founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1872. The way the company did this was from putting pictures in a newspaper than you would check what you wanted send them the money and address. The company eventually turned into online shopping when the internet was made and also created retail and department stores.
