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Fort Laramie Treaty
Look at the pic on the bottom-It's insane how the land just keeps getting smallerThe Fort Laramie treaty was formed when settlers and miners initially began to cross into indian hunting grounds. The settlers wanted government protection from the indians, and the indians wanted the settlers to stop invading their land. The Fort Laramie Treaty made natives stay put in a certain area in exchange for money, animals, tools, etc from the American government. This treaty did not necissarily accomodate native lifestyle, because they were used to constantly moving with the buffalo. -
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Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode is a period in American history when thousands of miners were pouring into the west. The boom of gold and silver obviously is what attracted people to the west, but it was also a great way to populate. Miners moved west so fast, towns poped up overnight called boomtowns. Once the gold and silver in the area was gone though, the towns were deserted by the miners in an instant, and were followed by the shopowners who no longer had buisness. These were called ghost towns. -
Homestead Act
In the Homestead Act, the governmnet granted 160 acres of western land to anyone who would farm and improve the land for five years, and pay a small fee of twelve dollars. Even so, most people could not afford to make this move in their life, so large companies bought most of the land. About ten percent of all US land was given away in the Homestead Act. -
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Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was an enormous advancement in American transportation. It is made up of the Union and Central Pacific Railroads, and stretches from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacremento, California, meeting in the middle at Promontory Point. The railroad itself provided jobs for many Americans, and provided job opportunities for countless others who could move west. The railroad allowed for easier transportation of not only people, but allowed for much easier trade within the country. -
West Virginia Becomes a State
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The Cattle Kingdom
The Cattle Kingdom began after the civil war when the demand for beef was high. Cattle Drives developed when young men began rounding up Texas longhorns and bringing them up to the railroads. Cowhands learned their skills from mexican/spanish vaqueros. The cattle kingdom flourished for about 20 years, bringing profit and cowtowns to the railroads. Eventually, the invention of barbed wire, disease, nature, etc took its toll on the cattle industry and the Cattle Kingdom came to an end. -
Nevada Becomes a State
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Chivington Massacre
this is so sad...The Chivington Massacre describes a brutal event in which Colnel John Chivington wiped out an entire Cheyenne village. When Chivington prepared to attack the village, they had already surrendered with a white flag and raised a US flag. Colnel Chivington dismissed the surrended and ordered his troops to burn the village and kill everyone. This move was not only inhumane, but it only created more tension between whites and natives. -
Barbed wire invented
The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum!!!Barbed wire, invented by Joseph F. Glidden, was the major reason that the cattle kingdom ended. As farmers began to move into the southwest where cattle ranges existed, there was a growing struggle between cowboys and farmers. The cows would cross through and feed in famers' fields, and the invention of barbed wire was a miracle for the farmers, while the exact opposite for cowhands. It was nearly impossible for herds to make it to the railroads, and their was less grass for them to feed on. -
Battle of Litttle Bighorn
The Battle of Little Bighorn was the battle that initiated the Sioux War. It occured when miners wanted to move into the Black Hills, which belonged to the natives. Disregarding warnings from the Lakotas, 600 of General Custer's men attacked. They were met by 2000 natives, and every last one of Custers men was killed. Even though the indians won this battle though, they lost the Sioux War. -
South Dakota Becomes a State
