Mining and Ranching The Main Idea Many people sought fortunes during the mining and cattle booms of the American West. Reading Focus How did mining lead to new settlements in the West? Why did mining become big business? How and why did the cattle boom come to an end?

Striking Gold and Silver Discovering gold and silver –After the California gold rush, Colorado was next. Most who went there were disappointed, but the silver in the Comstock Lode in Nevada lasted for more than 20 years. The Klondike gold rush –The Yukon Territory was the site of a huge gold rush, but getting there was treacherous. Canadians required miners to bring a year’s worth of supplies with them, and that was a difficult task. Reports of “gold for the taking” were false.

Development of Communities Mining camps and towns –Thousands of men poured into mining areas. Camps were hastily built and had no law enforcement. Vigilante justice was used to combat theft and violence. Camps become towns –Some camps developed into towns, with hastily constructed buildings of stores and saloons. –As towns developed, women and children came to join the men, making the towns more respectable. Townspeople established churches, newspapers, and schools.

Mining as Big Business Placer mining allowed individuals to pan for gold, but soon equipment was needed to dig deeper within the earth. Large companies were formed to invest in hydraulic mining and hard-rock mining. Prospectors became employees, working dangerous jobs for these companies. Miners began to organize unions to negotiate safer working conditions and better pay. Mining companies resisted, and violence broke out. At Cripple Creek, Colorado, the Western Federation of Miners faced off against the corporate mining interests. When it was over, 30 men were left dead and the union was defeated.

The Cattle Boom Growing populations in the East needed food. The age of the cattle drive had arrived. Cowboys drove the cattle to towns with railroads to be shipped to meatpacking centers such as Chicago. One of the most famous cattle trails was the Chisholm Trail. Origins of ranching The Spanish were the first ranchers in the West, raising cattle under dry and difficult conditions. They bred the hardy Texas longhorn and started sheep ranching. Grazing lands were needed for both. Demand for beef Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire, allowing ranchers to enclose grazing lands. Privately owned ranches spread quickly, and investors transformed the cattle business into big business. Two years of severe winters brought huge losses to the industry. Ranching as big business

Cowboy Songs Buffalo Gals Home on the Range Get Along Little Doggies Streets of Laredo You are my Sunshine