The West Region of the United States Natural Resources Day 9 RDL

Land of Opportunity The West had rich soil, a mild climate, and plenty of rain. Farmers were able to grow vegetables and fruit Gold! In 1848, workers building a sawmill near present day Sacramento, California found gold nuggets. News spread and people fled to get rich 80,000 people moved to California; they became known as forty- niners

Land Much of the land is mountainous or dry Pacific coast has big agricultural industries, California the leading state with crops growing on irrigated land Oregon produces grains, vegetables, and fruits Washington is nation’s leading producer of apples Montana and Wyoming, ranching is important Raise mostly cattle and sheep On the mountain slopes, huge forests of pine, spruce, and fir trees grow In central California, giant trees called sequoias grow Redwoods, the tallest living trees, grow from central California to southern Oregon

Water Several major rivers the Missouri, the Colorado, the Columbia, and many smaller rivers Great Salt Lake, in Utah, is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi river The coastal waters of the northern Pacific are rich in fish and shellfish, including salmon, flounder, tuna, crabs, oysters and clams.

Using the Water People built dams across rivers forming reservoirs, or a human-made lake Water is transported to supply towns and cities and to irrigate farmland Used to prevent damage caused by flooding Water power Water is released in the reservoirs into turbines, turning the blades, creating electricity through the machines Electricity created by water is called hydroelectricity

Settling the West In mid-1800‘s, the United States government encouraged people to settle across the West Built an economy based on mining, farming, ranching, logging, and fishing In the late-1800‘s, the U.S. stopped settlement on certain lands that held valuable resources; these became public lands Today, the U.S. government manages this land and controls the economic activities such as logging, ranching, and mining