Westward Expansion The Great Plains The Great Plains

Westward Expansion “The Great Plains”

The Great Plains • Pre Civil War viewed as a “treeless wasteland” - was now seen as a vast area for settlement and opportunity - Western settlement was aided by new inventions and Technologies - http: //www. solpass. org/7 ss/standards/Study. USII. 2. htm

Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental Railroad • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=hc. Ao. Ilyw 9 i 0&feature=related • Completed May 10, 1869 • The Last Golden spike was driven at Promontory Point in Utah • The Union Pacific (east) and the Central Pacific (from the West) had laid over 1700 miles of track • *** Most important reason for Westward Expansion****

Effects of the railroads • Towns grew along the rail line • Transported goods to cities and larger markets • Increased demand for Steel, coal and construction work • led to increase in farming and cattle ranching • Established 4 time zones (1883) made official in 1918 by Congress

Inventions and Adaptations • There were a total of 8 adaptations and inventions that helped settlers to survive the harsh climate they are: • (1)Railroads (most important) • (2)Dry Farming- to plant seeds deep into the ground where there was some moisture • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=48 H 7 z. OQr. X 3 U&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

More Inventions and Adaptations By 1870’s the (3)steel plow was invented that could break through the tough layers of sod. • Farmers could use (4)windmills to pump water out from under the ground and developed (5)barbed wire to protect their land •

(6)Sod Houses Built using rectangles of Sod, was similar style to an igloo. Was very well insulated, but also very damp.

A Nebraska Sod House Sodbusters- Name given to the plains farmers

(7)Beef Cattle Raising In the early 1800 s, cattle ranches began appearing on the Great Plains, especially in Texas. Demand for beef was high, and as railroads developed, ranchers would drive their cattle north to meet up with the lines.

(8)Wheat Farming Farmers adopted an improved strain of Russian wheat which required less water and grew well in the dryer soil of the Great Plains.

Closing the Frontier Impact on Native Americans

The Plains Native Americans Lived a nomadic life. They followed their main source of food, The buffalo. Warfare, the loss of the Buffalo and disease brought from settlers nearly wiped out the Native American population.

Conflict on the Plains • Even though most tribes were nomadic, They were forced onto reservations. • The reservations were on poor land that was low quality for farming. • The Native Americans lost their sacred land, were robbed of their nomadic lifestyles and forced to assimilate into American culture.

Conflict on the Plains • The battle of Little Big Horn – The government wanted to violate a treaty with the Sioux to mine for Gold in the Black Hills of the Dakotas – Sioux Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated Lt. Colonel George Custer – Custer and his entire command lost their lives

Conflict on the Plains • The Massacre at Wounded Knee – In an act of desperation, The Sioux began performing a ritual known as the Ghost Dance – Officials found the dance alarming and banned it. Chief Sitting Bull was accidentally shot and killed. – The rest of the Sioux tribe fled to Wounded Knee, While there, the army surrounded, shot and killed the entire tribe.

**Biggest conflict between settlers and Native Americans was how land should be owned and used **

Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce • In 1877 the Government demanded that they move their tribe to a reservation in Idaho. • The tribe reluctantly agreed until Chief Joseph found out that members of his tribe attacked a bunch of White Settlers.

More Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce �To save his tribe, they tried to escape to Canada �They made it 3 months and traveled 1000 miles. Chief Joseph surrendered just 40 miles short of Canadian border. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_h. JFi 7 SRH 7 Q

His famous quote • “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever” • This was his surrender to being forced to move his tribe onto a reservation.