TAKS Objective 12A— Analyze the impact of physical and human geographic factors on the settlement of the Great Plains, the Klondike Gold Rush, the Panama Canal, the Dust Bowl, and the levee failure in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

The Plains Indians

The Great Plains The Plains Indians were hunters. The horse, first introduced by the Spanish of the Southwest, appeared in the Plains about the beginning of the 18th century and revolutionized the life of the Plains Indians. Mounted and armed with bow and arrow, they ranged the grasslands of the Great Plains hunting buffalo which provided them with all of their basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter.

Disappearance of the Buffalo It is estimated at one time there were over 20 million buffalo on the Great Plains. When railroads tracks were blocked by buffalo herds settlers got out and shot them. A good hunter could kill about 40 to 60 buffalo a day.    The majority of the white hunters killed the buffalo for the tongues and hides only leaving behind the skinned carcasses to rot on the plains. By 1880, the buffalo had nearly disappeared from the Great Plains.

Cultures Clash on the Plains As settlers moved west, conflicts developed between them and the Plains Indians. One such conflict was the Red River War in 1874. On June 27, 1874 some 300 Kiowa and Comanche, led by Comanche Chief Quanah Parker, attacked a white settlement of buffalo hunters. In response, the US government sent cavalry units after the Native Americans until the warriors could no longer fight.

Cultures Clash on the Plains In 1864 approximately 500 Cheyenne and Arapaho encamped at the Sand Creek Reserve in Colorado after meeting with the US Army and negotiating a peace. In what became known as the Sand Creek Massacre Colorado militia leader Col. John Chivington and his 700 troops attacked the camp and killed over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children. Chivington and his men took scalps and other body parts as battle trophies, including human fetuses

Cultures Clash on the Plains In 1863 John Bozeman scouted a direct path to Oregon, the Bozeman Trail. Unfortunately it ran through Sioux hunting ground. Sioux Chief Red Cloud tried to get the government to end white settlement along the trail. In December 1866 Sioux warrior Crazy Horse ambushed Captain William Fetterman and his company US at Lodge Trail Ridge, killing 80 soldiers

Cultures Clash on the Plains The Government agreed to close the Bozeman Trail. In 1868 the Treaty of Fort Laramie was forced on Sioux, moving them to reservation by Missouri River. Sioux chief Sitting Bull never signed the treaty. Even those who signed the treaty believed they could continue using same hunting ground.

Cultures Clash on the Plains Another source of conflict between the Plains Indians and white settlers was the discovery of gold on land that had been set aside for reservations. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills on the Sioux reservations, hundreds of miners crossed into Sioux territory causing increased tensions between the Sioux and the US Army who sided with the miners

Cultures Clash on the Plains One of the best known battles was the Little Big Horn. On June 26, 1876 the 7th Cavalry located a number of Sioux and Cheyenne. Despite the warnings of his Native American scouts that he was outnumbered (the warriors outnumbered the 7th Cavalry by approximately three to one, or roughly 1,800 against 600), Col George Custer chose to attack.

Cultures Clash on the Plains Led by Crazy Horse, Rain in the Face, and Gall, the Sioux and Cheyenne crushed Custer and his troops. The 7th lost 268 troopers including Col. Custer himself.

Cultures Clash on the Plains Debate over treatment of Native Americans continued. Helen Hunt Jackson published A Century of Dishonor in which she detailed all the promises the US government had broken with the Native Americans. In 1887 the Dawes Severity Act aimed to ‘Americanize’ Native Americans and broke up reservations and gave 160 acres of land to individual Native Americans.

Battle of Wounded Knee Sioux believed Ghost Dance would restore their way of life. Movement spread rapidly on Dakota reservation. Officials became nervous and sent Native American police to arrest Sitting Bull. He was shot and killed in 1890. Then the Seventh Cavalry rounded up 350 Sioux and demanded weapons. A shot was fired and 300 unarmed Sioux, including several children, were wiped out in minutes.

Cattle Trails The large populations of the eastern US began to demand western beef. The expansion of the railroad westward and the invention of the refrigerated railcar made such shipments possible. Soon western cattlemen developed the idea of driving the cattle north across the open range to the railhead cities of Abilene, Kansas and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Cattle Trails During this era five major trails were established. Texas to Abilene became known as the Chisholm Trail and the Shawnee Trail joined Texas and Missouri. The Bozeman Trail linked Texas and Montana. Goodnight-Loving Trail ran from Texas to Wyoming and the Western Trail went from Texas to to Dodge City, Kansas.

Wild West Shows Many of the myths of the Wild West were created by the Wild West Shows. These shows exposed Eastern audiences to buffalo hunts, shooting demonstrations and trick riding stunts. Moreover, they introduced real western heroes who were paid to tour with the various companies.

The best known of these shows was Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Wild West Shows The best known of these shows was Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Buffalo Bill’s show had as many as 1,200 performers at one time including Western heroes like Wild Bill Hickock a well known gunfighter, marshal and an established dime novel hero.