The Spread of Western Mining Chapter 14 Sec0on 3 Mining, Ranching, and Farming In 1859, rumors spread of gold at Pike s Peak, Colorado, sending many people west One of the biggest strikes ever was discovered at Comstock Lode, Nevada in 1859. Gold was also discovered a liole west of Denver Early Mining Towns At first miners searched for metal in surface soil or in streambeds Most used a Spanish technique called placer mining By the 1860 s most of the surface metals had been mined, but much precious metal remained locked in quartz or deeply buried The large, deep veins of ore aoracted the money and techniques of large corpora0ons They tunneled into mountains using huge drill, hydraulic pumps, and dynamite At what places other than SuOer s Mill in California, was gold discovered in the west? What Spanish mining technique was used to mine gold? What tools did the large corpora0ons use to mine for gold? The Ca:le Boom Mexicans taught Americans caole ranching in the early 1800 s Cookbooks began to call pork unwholesome, leading to a demand for beef Texas longhorns were bred with eastern purebreds to produce a beoer quality of meat Refrigerated cars cut the cost of transpor0ng meat to the East in half 1
Destruc@on of the Buffalo Out of 25 million buffalo that roamed the plains in 1840, as few as 1,110 remained in 1889 Buffalo fur robes became popular in the east and buffalo hide belts were used to run machines in factories Buffalo hun0ng became a sport Cow Towns Texas herds were driven north across the open range to the nearest railroad In 1867, J.G. McCoy started the town of Abilene, Kansas on the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad the first town specifically built to receive caole Cowboy Ac@vity Other cow towns sprang up along railroads Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dodge City, Wichita, and Ellsworth, Kansas During the 2 decades of caole s industry s great prosperity, over 8 million Texas caole were rounded up and shipped east Watch these clips from western movies that feature cowboys. What characteris0cs do cowboys have? v=wto_6xssmcq v=jilhdzftxuy v=r81jnpurska A Cowboy s Life: Ca:le Drive on the Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail linked the grazing land of Texas s San Antonio region to the north It was a network of routes that converge at Fort Worth, then led north the the Red River It then went through Indian territory un0l reaching Kansas The Cowboy Cowboys included Americans, Na0ve Americans, and immigrants 1/5 were African Americans or Mexicans A cowboy earned more the farther north he worked A cowboy s ouiit cost about $77 2
The Long Drive Cowboys were up by 3:30 a.m. and in the saddle by 4:00 a.m. Two experienced men rode in front of the herd; others rode on the sides to keep the caole together or in the rear, pushing the stragglers along They could spend up to 18 hours a day in the saddle Stampedes were the cowboy s worst fear They learned that singing calmed the caole at night Leading cause of death was being dragged by a horse; other causes included pneumonia, tuberculosis, infec0ons, stampedes, and gunfights In caole country, men outnumbered women 10 to 1 The Ca:le Barons Wealthy ranchers created huge caole opera0ons Some owned more than 100,000 caole that grazed over millions of acres of land The caole bonanza ended in the mid 1880 s due to over expansion, price declines, cold winters, dry summers, and caole fever that caused thousands to go into bankruptcy Who taught the Americans how to ranch? What happened to the buffalo? Why were cow towns started? Describe the life of a cowboy. What was a caole baron? Hardships for Homesteaders Most homes were dugouts or soddies Amer building a home, homesteaders had to plow the fields for plan0ng Floods, fires, dust storms, and droughts omen ruined a year s work Grasshoppers, locusts, and boll weevils ravaged crops 3
Families Pull Together Crea0ng a livable homestead could cost $1,000 Many could not hold on for 5 years to keep their claim Falling crop prices created rising farm debt Men did the sodbus0ng, plan0ng, harves0ng, threshing, and binding Men omen lent themselves out for construc0on jobs in the off season Women raised and taught the children, made and washed clothing, preserved food, made soap and buoer, raised chickens, milked cows, and managed the money Children as young as 4 collected wood or carried water New Technology Eases Farm Labor Farmers omen prac0ced dry farming to conserve water New technology helped to save 0me and effort plows that made mul0ple furrows, harrow, automa0c drills to spread grain, threshers, cornhuskers, and cornbinders The United States Department of Agriculture provided informa0on on crop rota0on, hybridiza0on, and soil and water conserva0on Farming Becomes Big Business New farm machines and techniques increased farm output greatly Bonanza farms were controlled by large businesses, managed by professionals, and raised massive quan00es of the product What hardships did homesteaders face on the fron0er? How much did a livable homestead cost? What new technology helped farmers? What was a bonanza farm? 4
Fron@er Myths Many fron0er towns calmed down quickly Towns omen offered a variety of churches and social organiza0ons for both men and women The End of the Fron@er In 1870, most of the plains and Rocky Mountains had a popula0on of less than 2 people per square mile Growing popula0on led to the forma0on of new states In 1872, the government started to preserve western lands, such as Yellowstone, the na0on s first na0onal park In 1890, the head of the census bureau announced the end of the fron0er Turner s Fron@er Thesis Historian Frederick Jackson Turner claimed the fron0er had played a key role in developing an American character He said Americans were socially mobile, ready for adventure, bent on individual selfimprovement, and commioed to democracy Myths in Literature, Shows, and Songs Novels promoted stereotypes of cowboys and western life Buffalo Bill created his wild west shows, which also influenced stereotypes Where was the first na0onal park? Who was Frederick Jackson Turner? What was his theory? What myths exist about the western fron0er? 5