WESTWARD EXPANSION

MINING

• Mining was a popular reason for westward travel
• There were mines all over the frontier
• Mining was a simple cheap way to get money, all you needed was a pick!
• Many people became miners after the comstock lode was found
• The comstock lode was a large lode of silver ore in Nevada.

RAILROADS

• Railroads were the main source of travel in the country
• These were used to transport crops, resources, animals, and even people.
• Most of the trains on these railroads were powered by steam.
• Having railroads made travelling out west easier then the traditional walk.

BOOMTOWNS

• Boomtowns were small towns that popped up by succesful mines
• They were filled with rowdy people and were often lawless
• Citizens who thought these towns needed law became vigilantes
• Most boomtowns became deserted because the mines ran out of ore.

FARMING

LIVING

• Being a farmer was a simple way to earn money in the plains
• Many people became farmers because of the homestead act
• This act gave people cheap land as long as they lived on it
• Farmerd used wells to get groundwater for irrigation use.
• Use of the lighter sreel hoes made breaking the tough ground easy

THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH

• The Oklahoma land rush was the government letting people settle in the state
• Up too 50,000 people lined up at the border to race to find land.
• Many people got seriously injured or shot during the stampede.
• Most of the people that participated did not get any land, and went home sad

RANCHING

• Ranching was a very profitable career in the south
• Raising and selling longhorns for 40$ was a great deal for ranchers
• There was no need for fences as ranchers burned symbols into steers hides
• This was an easy way fir ranchers to keep track of their cattle
• Ranchers had to drive cattle up to 1000 miles to sell meat at a railroad town

NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONS CHANGING

LIVING

• Native Americans were being forced farther west as settlers moved in
• Many buffalo were being slaughtered to make sure trains didnt have to stop
• American soldiers attacked their camps in an attempt to remove them

RESERVATIONS

• Soldiers forced Native Americans to live in reservations
• These plots of land were often small and cramped
• Lots of conflict broke out because of close quarters with enemies
• Some tried to escape but they were brought back

DAWES ACT

• The dawes act proposed to break up the tribes
• The reservations were removed and the land given to the natives
• Indian children were forced to attend white schools.
• The goal was to make the natives american citizens

THE END