Expansion to the West
Shira's Expansion into the West Page
SIA
This page focuses on the United States expansion into the West, specifically from 1865-1914. There are two main topics to discuss, the Indians removal from the western areas and the four main groups that encouraged western movement. Many people traveled to the west because of promises of gold, silver and opportunity.
Native Americans
Native Americans lived on American land before it was "discovered". As more and more people moved to this new land, Native Americans were pushed out of the land. Many of the promises and treaties made to the Native Americans were broken. This webpage is focusing on the time when the Native Americans were living on the Great Plains. Tribes like the Kiowa, Sioux, Crow, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Blackfeet lived on the Great Plains. They hunted buffalo to survive, but killed only what they needed. Reservations were created for Native Americans to prevent conflicts. This solution did not work because even though the Native American leaders agreed to the terms, they could not force their people to move. Eventually, the Native Americans did move to the reservations because they could not protect themselves from the settlers. Reservations did not always prevent the problems with the settlers, but they helped.
Four main Groups that Encouraged Western Movement
Mining
Miners mostly settled in Nevada, California, Colorado, Utah and Idaho. They were all men, and no one brought their family along. It was very hard work. When they weren’t mining, a lot of time was spent gambling and drinking. The miners traveled in groups and were hardly ever found alone. Miners faced many dangers while on their job, but people would do it for the money and excitement. They mined for gold, silver and copper among other things. Although there was money to be made, much of it was wasted on frivolous things.
Farming
Farmers mostly settled in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Texas. The Homestead Act promised lots of land for a cheap price. Propaganda also encouraged farmers to move out west, but when they arrived in the west to the land they had bought, they found it to be an isolated area with no water and bad weather. Usually the land experienced many plaques such as millions of grasshoppers. Farmers woke up early, seeded and reaped the crops, fed the animals and then went to bed as early as they could.
Railroads
The transcontinental railroad traveled all throughout the United States. It was the first thing to really connect the East to the West. The Chinese and the Irish mainly built the railroad. These men worked long hours and had very few, if any, luxuries. Central Pacific and Union were the two companies that were in charge of the railroad. The government financed the creation of the railroad. Little towns would spurt up overnight next to the railroads and then, when the railroad workers moved on, the towns would be left. This led to the creation of many ghost towns.
Cattle Ranching (Cowboys)
Many cowboys lived in the areas of Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, Texas and especially Dodge City. Cowboys had to be very tough men. Although they earned $30 a week, they didn’t have much water to drink and had to ride horses all day long. Everyone was encouraged to become cowboys, from blacks to whites to Mexicans. Cowboys also had to be single because they weren’t allowed to bring their wives and children along with them. Cowboys feared dehydration, exhaustion and Native American attacks.
Created by Shira Levy
