Settling the West Unit 1 Created by M. Gunsalus 2009

The Great Plains are bordered by the Missouri River to the East and the Rocky Mountains to the West

The Great Plains

The Physical Environment of the Great Plains Was once known as the “Great American Desert” Had prairie grasses Had flatlands with gradual rise in elevation Had wind and water erosion Had low rainfall Had dust storms Was once considered a “treeless wasteland”

Inventions and adaptations that supported the settlement of the Great Plains Inventions Barbed wire Steel plow Windmills Adaptations Dry farming Sod houses (soddies) Beef cattle raising Wheat farming

Barbed Wire The invention of barbed wire allowed farmers to keep cattle from nearby ranches off their fields and away from their crops.

Steel Plow With improved steel plows, farmers could break up their tough soil.

Windmills New models of windmills were used throughout the Great Plains to pump water from the ground and to provide power.

Dry Farming Farmers learned they could grow crops on the dry soil if they plowed deeply, breaking up the tough sod with the new steel plows.

Sod Houses Lacking trees and other materials, settlers on the Great Plains built their homes from sod, a sort of packed dirt held together by grass, roots and cut into squares.

Beef Cattle Raising In the early 1800s, 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.

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.

What factors supported the settlement of the West? Advertisements Transcontinental railroad Adventure Possibility of wealth created by the discovery of gold and silver Opportunities for the formally enslaved African Americans Opportunity to own land (Homestead Act) Technological advances

Railroads The railroad network in the US grew fast. The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, was made of many different lines. It linked the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and opened the vast interior to people who wanted to settle there. The railroad made trade between different parts of the country easier, encouraging industrial and economic growth.

Effects of Westward Expansion on the Plains Indians They were opposed to westward expansion They were forced to relocate from traditional lands to reservations Their population was reduced through warfare and disease There were assimilation attempts by the U.S. government Their lifestyle changed- example reduction of the buffalo Their homelands were reduced and their treaties were broken

Battle of Little Bighorn Sioux Chief Sitting Bull, with the help of his Sioux warriors and Cheyenne Indians, wiped out an entire force of U.S. troops led by Colonel George A. Custer. All 211 of Custer’s men including Custer himself were killed. This battle took place in 1876 near the Little Bighorn River in Montana.

Geronimo Apache leader who was forced to settle on a barren reservation in Arizona. Geronimo and his warriors refused to remain on the reservation. He was captured many times but always managed to escape until he surrendered in 1886 and was sent to prison. “ Once I moved about like the wind. Now I surrender.”

Chief Joseph Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce. In 1877, he and his followers fled north to seek a new life in Canada. They traveled 4 months and covered 1000 miles of rough terrain. They were captured 40 miles from the Canadian border and surrendered. They were forced to live on a reservation. “I will fight no more forever.”

Wounded Knee Massacre 1.In 1890, 300 unarmed Native Americans died at the hands of the U.S. soldiers at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. 2.This massacre ended armed resistance in the West. 3.The American Indian population was reduced through warfare and disease.