1. Transcontinental Railroad
In the 1850’s railroad companies began to search for a route that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
The government offered land to companies that were willing to lay the 1,700 miles across the U.S.
2 companies accepted the challenge.
Central Pacific worked eastward from Sacramento.
Union Pacific worked westward from Omaha.

2. Transcontinental railroad
Both companies cleared forests, blasted tunnels through mountains built track across the country.
Many immigrant groups including Chinese worked to create the railroad
On May 10, 1869 the workers completed the railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah.

3. Effects of the Railroad
Connected the United States from Coast to coast
Economic boom to all companies involved with the railroads.
Trains brought people and material to the west.
Numerous towns sprang up among the rail lines.
Time Zones were created to make the railroads safer and more reliable.

4. Homestead Act
1862 Congress passed this act to encourage settlement in the Great Plains
Gave 160 acre of land to any head of family that paid a $10 filing fee and lived on the land for 5 years.
Brought farmers to the land so they could earn ownership by settling the land.
Many single women and African Americans were attracted to the free land in hopes of a better life.

5. Living on the Great Plains
Difficult life
Lack of trees caused people to make houses out of sod. (densely packed soil held together by grass roots)
Extreme Climate
Excessive rainfall caused flooding
Drought=brushfires that burned everything
Clouds of grasshoppers that ate crops

6. Farming on the Great Plains
Men worked in the fields
Women did the same, but also raised children, made clothing, cooked and preserved food.
Developed new faming methods and tools
Dry farming= plowing their land after each rainstorm.
Dug deep wells and used windmills as pumps to get water from the ground.

7. Cattle Business Texas had a lot of cattle.
High demand for beef in Northern cities
Ranchers in Texas had to get their cattle to Sedalia, Missouri to ship back east
Texas Ranchers started driving their herds to the north to Missouri.

8. Cattle Drives
To reach the railroads, Texas ranchers had to move their cattle hundreds of miles.
Took about 3 months
Started in early spring so there was enough grass to feed the cattle on the trip.
“Cow Towns,” began to spring up so the ranchers could sell their cattle.
The cattle would then be loaded on to trains for shipment to other cities

9. Cowhands (cowboys)
People who moved the cattle north from Texas to the railroad.
Many were Civil War Veterans, and African Americans who moved west for a better life.
Those of Hispanic origin were called vaqueros
Introduced riding, roping, and branding.
Cowboys had a difficult job because they had to worry about
Violent storms
Rustlers trying to steal cattle
Stampedes

10. Conflict with Native Americans
1867 Indian Peace Commission decided to move Native Americans to large lands called reservations.
The land on these reservations was not good for farming and hunting. So many wanted to leave
Government only gave supplies that were of poor quality. If they gave them at all.
This led to conflict between the United States and the Native Americans

11. Marking the text Custers last stand
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12. Battle of Little Big Horn

13. Marking the text Wounded Knee
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14. Wounded Knee