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The Gold Rush
Word had spread in the east that settlers had found gold in the west. This drove many people to the west in order to find it. While they were there, some people decided to stay and live in the west. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act allowed settlers to buy 160 acres of land for a small fee. However, in order to do this, they had to be 21 years old or the head of the family, American citizens or immigrants filing for citizenship, planned to build a house bigger than 12 ft. by 14 ft., planned to live there at least six out of the twelve months of the year, and had to farm land for 5 years before gaining full ownership of the land. -
Pacific Railway Act
The Pacific Railway Act gave 10 sq. miles of public land on both sides of all of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads. In total, the railroads received 175 million acres of public land. -
Morill Land-Grant Act
The Morill Land-Grant Act gave state governments millions of acres of western lands, which they could sell to raise money to create "land grant" colleges. These colleges specialized in agriculture and mechanical arts. -
Sand-Creek Massacre
The white people that moved to the west set up reservations that restricted where the Native Americans could and would live. The Native Americans got mad at this and began to rebel in many small battles, one of which was between the white men and the Cheyene Indians at Sand Creek in Colorado. The white men ended up obliterating the Cheyene forces, and the Native Americans willingly agreed to move onto their reservations. -
Mining Industry is Born
Mining for gold and other riches started to become less of a recreational activity and more of an industry in the 1870's when miners started to use dynamite to speed-up the mining process. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Battle of Little Bighorn was another battle that was fought as a result of the white men moving the Native Americans onto reservations. This battle, in particular, was between the Sioux Indians and the white men. The Sioux ended up overpowering the white men and winning the battle. -
Dawes Act Passed
The Dawes Act gave 160-acre and 180-acre land-grants to the Native Americans. However, the Native Americans couldn't receive full ownership of the land until they had taken care of it and cultivated crops on it for twenty-five years.
