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Comstock Lode
In 1859, two prospectors got gold in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Later, another miner appeared named Henry Comstock, claiming the mine was on his land. He demanded the prospectors make him a partner. He then started calling it his mine. Later, the mine became known as the Comstock Lode. It was filled with gold and silver and became on of the richest silver mines in the world. This caused miners to move out to the West in search for gold. -
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Cattle Kingdom
After the Civil War was over, the demand for beef increased. The cities in the East needed more meat because of growing communities. Such as, the miners, railroad crews, and farmers. The cattle were driven north from Texas by cowhands on trails. Later, in the 1870s barbed wire was invented and was decreasing the land of the Great Plains. There then was a Texas Fever which killed most of the herds. The cattle kingdom was over. -
The Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. The Homestead Act accelerated the settlement in the West by granting families 160 acres for a fee. You could keep the land as long as you farm and improve it over a 5 year period. The fee for the land was 12 dollars, and most people did also not have the money to move out west. Since most people could not afford it, companies got most of the land. -
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Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
The construction of the transcontinental railroad began in 1863. The railroad would connect the Eastern and the Western United States. The builders of the Transcontinental Railroad was built by two railroad companies who raced laying down tracks because whoever did would make more of a profit. Building the Transcontinental Railroad was very challenging, but was finally completed in 1869. -
Oklahoma becomes a state
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Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a major route and cattle drive out of Texas to the Transcontinental Railroad. When the Civil War was going on the cattle multiplied. The demand was high in the North and the East for meat, and the price of each cattle was forty dollars. Since the price was so high, cowboys herded cattle to the north to the Transcontinental railroad. -
Barbed Wired Invented
In 1874, Joseph Glidden was issued a patent for the creation of barbed wire. Later in the 1870's, farmers began moving on to the range. During the cattle drives, the cattle would trample and eat the farmers crops. So many farmers began fencing their fields with barbed wire. As more farmers bought more land, the open range began to disappear. Large land grants to railroad companies also reduced the open range. In the winter of 1886 a "Texas Fever" killed entire herds. The cattle kingdom was over -
Oklahoma Land Rush
The Oklahoma Land Rush was a race to get the best land in the new territory of Oklahoma. At exactly noon, thousands of settlers would race to claim the land. Unfortunately, people had already claimed land by sneaking into Oklahoma early. They were called Sooners. The 2 million acres the whites were racing for was already claimed by the Indians. They were later moved from their territory for white settlment. -
Dakotas become states
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Populist Party Formed
The Populist Party also known as The People's Party, was formed because farmers had been in an economic depression. The party fought for higher grain prices, and the regulation of train prices, and free silver to increase the money supply. In the election of 1896, the Populist Party was represented by William Jennings Bryan. But, loses to the Republican William McKinley. The party dies out after the 1896 election because Democrats took on many of their issues.
