1. Changes on the Western Frontier 1877 – 1900 Chapter 13 – The Americans
Mitten – CSHS
AMAZ History
Semester 1

2. Vocabulary Great Plains Treaty of Fort Laramie Sitting Bull
George A. Custer
assimilation
Dawes Act
Battle of Wounded Knee
longhorn
Chisholm Trail
long drive

3. Cultures Clash on the Prairie
Life on the Plains
Great Plains – grasslands in west-central portion of the United States
East: hunting, farming villages
West: nomadic hunting, gathering
The Horse and the Buffalo
Horses, guns lead most Plains tribes to nomadic life
Buffalo provides many basic needs
hides used for teepees, clothes, blankets - meat staple of diet

4. The Culture of the Plains Indians
Family Life
Plains Indians form family groups
ties with other bands that speak the same language
Men are hunters, warriors;
women butcher meat, prepare hides
Belief in powerful spirits that control natural world
men or women can become shamans
Children learn through myths, stories, games, and by example
Communal life; leaders rule by counsel

5. Settlers Push Westward
Clash of Cultures
Native Americans: land cannot be owned;
settlers want to own the land
Settlers believe natives forfeited land
migrants head west to claim ‘unused’ land
Silver and Gold
1858 discovery of gold in Colorado brings thousands
Mining camps, small frontier towns have filthy, rundown dwellings
Fortune seekers of different cultures, races; mostly men

6. Gov't Restricts Native Americans
Railroads Influence Government
1834, government designates Great Plains as one huge reservation
1850’s, treaties define more specific boundaries for each tribe
Massacre at Sand Creek
Troops kill over 150 Cheyenne, Arapaho at Sand Creek winter camp
Bozeman Trail Crosses Sioux Hunting Grounds
Crazy Horse ambushes troops
Treaty of Fort Laramie – U.S. closes trail; Sioux to reservation
Sitting Bull, leader of Hunkpapa Sioux, does not sign treaty

7. Bloody Battles Red River War Gold Rush
1868, Kiowa, Comanche engage in 6 years of raiding
1874 – 1875, U.S. Army crushes resistance on Plains in Red River War
Gold Rush
1874 George A. Custer reports gold in Black Hills
Custer’s Last Stand
1876, Sitting Bull has vision of war at sun dance
Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Gall crush Custer’s troops
By late 1876, Sioux are defeated; some go to Canada
his people starving, Sitting Bull surrenders 1881

8. Gov't Supports Assimilation
Assimilation – natives to give up traditional way of life, join white culture
1887, Dawes Act to “Americanize” natives, break up reservations
gives land to individual Native Americans
sell balance of land to settlers
money for farm equipment for natives
In the end, Native Americans receive only 1/3rd of land – no money

9. Destruction of the Buffalo
Destruction of buffalo most significant blow to tribal life
Tourists, fur traders shoot for sport, destroy buffalo population

10. The Battle of Wounded Knee
Ghost Dance – ritual dance to regain way of life
spreads rapidly among Sioux on Dakota reservation
December 1890, Sitting Bull is killed
Seventh Cavalry takes 350 Sioux to Wounded Knee Creek
Battle (massacre) at Wounded Knee – cavalry kill 300 unarmed Indians
Ends Indian wars, Sioux are left to dream of regaining old life

11. Cattle Become Big Business
Vaqueros and Cowboys
Americans learn to manage large herds from Mexican vaqueros
adopt clothing, vocabulary, way of life
Texas longhorns – sturdy breeds brought by Spanish
Cowboys not in demand until railroads arrive
Growing Demand for Beef
After Civil War ends demand for meat increases in rapidly growing cities
The Cow Towns
Cattlemen establish shipping yards where trails and rail lines meet
Chisholm Trail becomes major cattle route from San Antonio TX. to Wichita, KS.

12. A Cowboy's Life Cowboy Life
1866 – 1885, up to 55,000 cowboys on plains
25% African American, 12% Mexican
10 to 14 hour days; 14 or more on trail
Round up & Cattle Drives
Spring – cattle rounded up and branded
Herds of animals on long drives of up to 3 months
Legends of the West
Celebrities emerge – Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are two of the most popular

13. The End of the Open Range
Changes in Ranching
Overgrazing, bad weather from 1883 to 1887 destroys entire herds
Ranchers keep smaller herds – yield more meat per animal
Fence land with barbed wire; turns open range into separate ranches
Open range is no more