Chapter 13 The Last Frontier: Part I

Vocabulary  Ambush: A surprise attack.  Nomads: People who wander about from one area to another.  Pioneers: People who go first, who open the way for others to follow.  Prairie: Large area of flat or rolling grassland.  Reservation: An area of land set aside for American Indians.  Transcontinental: Going across a continent.  Treaty: A written agreement.  Wagon Trail: A trail of wagons that carried settlers westward.

Objectives  Describe how people traveled west during the 19 th Century.  Explain what life was like for pioneers who settled the West.  Describe how the railroads changed the lives of the Native Americans.  Tell where the Native Americans went as the white men took their lands.

Wagon West  How did families go west? Wagon TrainsWagon Trains RoadsRoads  The use of wagon trains was a safe way for travelers to travel.  They traveled in large groups. Traveling in large groups protected them against: Indian AttacksIndian Attacks SicknessesSicknesses Wild AnimalsWild Animals Rough CountryRough Country

Pioneer Life  Nearly everyone in the west lived on farms.  Once the land was cleared for crops families would build log cabins.  There were few stores. If people needed tools they would make them or traded for the them.  Life on the frontier was lonely. Families would get together for parties.

Rails West  This was one of the greatest races in American history.  For six years, two railroad companies laid track.  One company started in the east and the other started in the west.  They both raced to lay as much track as they could before they met in the middle.  On May 10, 1869, the two companies met and a solid gold spike was driven.

Settling In  After the Civil War large numbers of people began settling between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.  This large prairie was known as the Great Plains.  Today the Great Plains is a major source of the country’s food.  Space can still be thought of as a frontier and so can Earth’s oceans.

Settling In  By the 1890’s five rail lines ran across the Great Plains.  The land between the Mississippi and the Rockies became filled with farmers, ranchers, miners, and townspeople.  In the 250 years between 1620 and 1870 Americans had settled about 400 million acres of land.  In the 30 years between 1870 and 1900 another 400 million acres were settled.  By 1900, the “last frontier” had disappeared.

Review  Why did pioneers travel in wagon trains?  What is the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains called?  What were some of the difficulties faced by those who built the transcontinental railroad?