1. Miners and Ranchers
Chapter 8
Section 1

2. Growth of the Mining Industry
Mining gold, silver, and copper brought the first wave of settlers to the West
Placer Mining
Early prospectors would extract shallow deposits of ore
Quartz Mining
After ore near the surface began to dwindle
Dug deep beneath the surface

3. Growth of the Mining Industry
The Big Strike in Nevada
The Comstock Lode was a rich deposit of silver
A cycle of boomtown to ghost town was repeated throughout the West
Vigilance committees were self-appointed volunteers to track down and punish wrongdoers
Other Bonanzas
Leadville
Deep deposits of lead that contained large amounts of silver created this legendary boomtown
Spurred the building of railroads through the Rocky Mountains

4. Ranching and Cattle Drives
Open Range
Vast areas of grassland owned by the federal government
By the 1860’s, railroads had reached the Great Plains, allowing ranchers to ship cattle east to market
Chisholm Trail
Major route north to Abilene, Kansas that cowboys used to drive cattle to a railroad line for sale

6. Ranching and Cattle Drives
The Long Drive
Cowboys would round up cattle for ranchers from the open range
“dime novels”
Cowboys’ exaggerated tales of daring
Ranching Becomes Big Business
Barbed Wire
At first, ranchers saw it as a threat because it kept their herds from roaming freely
Caused a transition of cowboys to ranch hands
Replaced longhorns with European breeds
End of long cattle drives