Ch. 5 – Changes on the Western Frontier (1860 – 1900) Culture of the Plains Indians Native Americans saw land as belonging to no one. Viewed white customs of farming & mining as disturbing the harmony between the natural & spirit world. Buffalo was vital to survival of Plains Indians (food, clothing, shelter).

Reasons for American Settlement of the West 1) inexpensive / abundant land 2) hopes of finding gold or silver 3) escape persecution / fresh start (ex: former slaves, Mormons, etc.) Clash Between Settlers & Indians Settlers felt they had a right to land b/c Indians hadn’t “improved” it (farming / building). U.S. govnt changed its Indian policies & restricted Indian land to smaller reservations. Many Indians ignored govnt. treaties and hunted on old lands anyway, often clashing w/ settlers.

Sand Creek Massacre (1864) Cheyenne Indians were peacefully camped at Sand Creek reservation for winter. Govnt leaders wanted to see Indians suffer – ordered U.S. soldiers to attack, killing over 150 Cheyenne women & children.

Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer’s Last Stand - 1876) Sioux, Arapaho, Cheyenne Indians protested as whites searched Black Hills for gold (northern Great Plains region) – wanted to protect hunting grounds. June 1876, General George Custer & 265 of his troops met by 2,500 Sioux at Little Bighorn in Montana. Within an hour, Indians won battle. Custer & all of his men were dead. Bloody conflicts between whites & Native Americans led to greater hostility toward Indian culture. General George Custer

U.S. Government Adopts Indian Assimilation Policy (1880s – 1900) Govnt hoped teaching “white” culture would lead to peace between Indians & Settlers in the West. Assimilation – plan under which Native Americans would give up their beliefs & way of life to become part of American culture.

Destruction of Buffalo (1800 – 1900) Dawes Act (1887) Goal to “Americanize” Indians. Provided funds for Indian schools (teach English, Christianity, white culture, ect.) Divided Reservations into 160 acre farms for each family. Instead of helping Native Americans, Dawes Act nearly destroyed Indian culture. Destruction of Buffalo (1800 – 1900) Destruction of Native American life on Great Plains tied to loss of the buffalo (Indians’ food, clothing, shelter). Tourists & fur traders shot buffalo for sport. Buffalo population of 65 million in 1800 dropped to only a few hundred by 1900.

Native American boys sent to Indian School (Before) (After)

Battle of Wounded Knee (1890) Sioux Indians continued to suffer poverty & disease. Thousands of Native Americans turned to a prophet, who promised that if Indians performed a ritual called the Ghost Dance, their lands & way of life would be restored. Ghost Dance movement spread. Alarmed U.S. Calvary opened fire on over 300 unarmed Native Americans camped at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Battle of Wounded Knee brought Indian Wars – and an entire era – to an end.

Vaqueros & Cowboys Between 1866-1885 approx. 55,000 cowboys worked the open range. Cowboy life stemmed from Spanish ranchers in Mexico. Early cowboys were Mexican. Vaqueros influenced cowboy clothes, food, vocabulary. 25% of cowboys were black. Working as a cowboy appealed to former slaves who were judged on ability, not skin color.

Growing Demand for Beef (1860s) After Civil War, demand for beef grew as cities became larger. The West had abundance of Texas Longhorns – a herd of over 5 million wild cattle originally brought from Spain. Cattle Ranchers would buy cattle for $3 - $5 a head & drive cows to railheads in Ellsworth or Abiline, Kansas. Cattle then sold for $30 - $50 a head and shipped to Chicago for butchering.

The Cattle Trails

The Long Cattle Drive End of the Open Range Cattle drive consisted of about 3,000 cattle, 18 cowboys, one chuck wagon, and a wrangler. Drive began in spring and lasted 2-3 months until reaching Kansas. End of the Open Range Overgrazing the land, bad weather, and invention of barbed wire helped to end the cattle / cowboy era. Winters of 1885-1886 & 1886-1887 were brutal. Cold temperatures caused cattle to freeze to death. Summer droughts led to grass shortage. By 1887, 80%-90% of cattle dead. Barbed wire turned open plains into a series of fenced in ranches.

The Fall of the Cowboy Frederick Remington

Railroads & Western Settlement U.S. Govnt wanted West settled (manifest destiny). Offered railroad companies free land as incentive to build a transcontinental line (connect east coast to west coast). Each mile of track = 20sq. miles of land.

Railroads in the West Building the Transcontinental Line (1862 -1869) Two major railroad companies competed to lay the most track and receive more government land. Union Pacific R.R. Began laying tracks in Nebraska and moved West. Employed Irish-Americans & Civil War veterans. Flat country allowed work to go quickly. Central Pacific R.R. Began laying tracks in Sacramento, California and moved East. Employed mostly Chinese – paid less than white workers & endured dangerous conditions blasting through Sierra Nevada mountains.

Railroad Construction

Finishing the Transcontinental R.R. (1869) Crews raced past each other without meeting. May 10th, 1869 Congress forced Union Pacific & Central Pacific to join together at Promontory Point, Utah. Railroads resulted in growth and new settlement of the West, making travel & transportation easier.

Homestead Act (1862 – 1900) Passed by Congress to settle the West. Offered 160 acres of free land to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household. Approx. 60,000 families took advantage of government’s offer.

Farming Inventions that Tamed the Prairie Settlers used inventions to meet the challenges of farming the West’s harsh terrain. Barbed Wire (1874) – Prevented animals from wandering off or trampling crops. Reaper (1847) – Invented by Cyrus McCormick. Sped up harvesting crops & saved crops from bad weather. Steel Plow (1837) – Invented by John Deere. Could slice through heavy soil, made planting more efficient. Barbed Wire fence Cyrus McCormick’s Reaper Steel Plow [“Sod Buster”]

Klondike Gold Rush (1896-1899) Also known as the Yukon Gold Rush & Alaska Gold Rush. -Vast deposits of Gold were found along the Yukon River -Approx. 100,000 prospectors migrated to the Klondike Region of the Yukon River (8% were female) for the chance to strike it rich.

Impact of the Klondike Gold Rush -Small villages like Dyea & Skagway became Boom Towns -Dawson City did not exist until high traffic demanded a town built near the mine to provide supplies and luxuries. -Ended in 1899 when gold was found in other Alaskan Regions and California Line of prospectors climbing the trail Chilkoot Trail from Skagway to the mining region