Settling the West 1865-1900

1. Settling the West1865-1900 Section 1: Miners and Ranchers

2. Growth of Mining • Task: How do people try to “get rich quick” today? • Growth of the Mining Industry • Placer mining + quartz mining were used.

3. Growth of Mining • Comstock Lode • Henry Comstock staked a claim in Virginia City, Nevada in 1859. • Pure Silver Ore! • From frontier outpost to Boomtown of 30,000 people. • When the silver veins were exhausted, the mine closed. • Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain] • Task: What do you think happened to many of these towns when the mines closed?

4. Growth of Mining

5. Growth of Mining • Problems in Mining Communities: • Prospectors fought over claims. • Thieves haunted the streets and trails. • People took the law into their own hands- Vigilance Committees. • Women in a Mining Town: • Some owned property • Some became community leaders. • Some worked as cooks or in laundries. • “hurdy-gurdy” houses – where they danced with men for a drink!

6. Other Bonanzas • “Pikes Peak or Bust!”, 1859 • Spurred the development of Colorado, the Dakota Territory, and Montana. (became states in 1889) • Leadville, 1879 – deposits of lead found in Colorado Mountains. • Deposits had a lot of silver in them! • 1,000 newcomers per week were pouring in!

7. Other Bonanzas • Spurred the building of railroads through the mountains. • Denver was a supply point (2nd largest city after San Francisco) • Development of the Great Plains • Gold in the Black Hills and copper in Montana. • After the railroads were built, farmers and ranchers moved into the territory.

8. Ranching • Early 1800s many thought ranching was impractical on the Great Plains. • Arid • Cattle from the East Coast could not survive on prairie grass. • Texas Longhorn • Better adapted for the harsh environment. • Mexicans had introduced cattle ranching. • Open range- vast area owned by the government. • Ranchers could graze their herds free of charge!

9. Ranching • Before the Civil War there was little incentive to round up longhorns. • Beef prices were low, • Moving cattle to the east was not practical. • Turning Point: • 1. the Civil War • 2. the Construction of Railroads

10. Ranching • The Civil War • After the war, beef prices soared, making it worthwhile. • The Railroads • If the longhorns were rounded up and driven north several hundred miles to the railroad, they could be sold for a huge profit and shipped east to market. The Long Drive

11. Ranching • ”Come along boys and listen to my tale, I'll tell you of my troubles on the old Chisholm Trail. Come a tiyi yippee, come a ti, yi, yea.“, The Old Chisholm Trail

12. The Long Drive • Cowboys collected their cattle from the open range. • Mavericks: stray calves with no brand. • Took the cattle north • Many cowboys were former Confederate soldiers. • Some Hispanic, some African American. • Adventure books about cowboys were popular in U.S.

13. Ranching becomes Big Business • “range wars”- sometimes cattle ranchers and sheep herders would compete over the open range. • Why did the long drives end? • Barbed Wire • Allowed for ranchers to fence off the hundreds of square miles of the range. • Ended the cattle drives since the cattle were prevented from roaming. • Investors in the East poured so much money into the cattle business that there was an oversupply of animals and prices dropped.