United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
OBJECTIVE
What should YOU know about the western frontier and the Gilded Age by the
end of this unit?
In this course, students will analyze U.S. government policies toward the American
Indians, as well as farm issues, the beginnings of Populism, the growth of railroads and
the cattle industry (3A-B). Students will identify the Gilded Age as an era (US2A) and
analyze political, economic and social issues related to the period (3A-C).
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
*Why did the conflict exist between Native Americans and European settlers?
*Consider this scenario!
*How does the first quote compare to the information and feelings expressed in the
second quote from the document?
*Why would settlers want access to more land to expand farming and railroads in the
West?
*What can you infer from the timeline about the government's role in creating the
struggles between Native Americans and settler moving west?
SECTION 1-Miners and Ranchers
I. Growth of the Mining Industry
A. Mining played an important role in the settling of the American _____________.
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
Demand for ____________rose dramatically after the ___________ as the United
States changed from a farming nation to a _________________.
______________also led to the building of ____________ to connect the miners
to factories back east.
(Q1) Why does an industrial nation need minerals?
(Q2) Do you think the American West would have been settled as quickly if
the US had remained a farming nation after the Civil War?
B. In 1859 a prospector named ______________ staked a claim near _____________.
1. He sold his claim for thousands of dollars not realizing the sticky, blue clay was pure
______________ worth ________.
2. News of _________Lode, brought ____________ to Virginia City.
3. In 1864 as a result of so many people, ___________ was admitted as the ____ state
in the Union.
a. News of a mineral strike would start a stampede of ____________into tiny
_________ towns transforming them into ___________.
b. Cities like Virginia City grew from a town of a few hundred people to nearly
_________ in just a few months.
4. These quickly growing towns were called ______________.
a. The term ______ refers to rapid __________ growth.
b. Boomtowns were rowdy places were prospectors fought over ________ and thieves
created havoc in the streets and on the trails.
1. "_______and_______" was enforced by ____________ committees...
2. When the minerals in the mines that supported the boomtown economy was
used up, many went ________.
3. A few survived but most became _____________.
C. After gold was discovered in ______ in Colorado near __________, miners declared "Pikes
Peak or ______."
1. Because the minerals were hard to ______, many thought that Pikes Peak was a
______.
2. Much of the minerals were hidden deep beneath the surface.
3. In the ____'s lead mixed with silver was found at _________ and news of the strike
brought ______ of newcomers a week.
a. __________ is one of the West's most famous boomtowns and spurred the building
of __________ through the Rocky Mountains transforming ___________, the supply
point for the mining areas, into the second largest city in the West, after
______________.
D. The discovery of gold in the ___________ of the Dakota Territory and copper in
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
____________drew miners to the region in the ____'s.
1. When the _______ were completed many farmers and ranchers were able to reach
and settle in the area. This prompted Congress to admit three new states,
_________________, ______________ and ______________ in 1889.
2. In the Southwest, the __________territory brought miners in the 1860-70's to work
one of the nation's largest ________deposits.
3. When _____ was found in _____________ in 1877, it set off an enormous boom
that brought thousands of prospectors to the territory.
a. The boom lasted about _____ years, and during that time, Tombstone became
famous for its ___________.
b. Marshal ____________ and his brothers gained their infamous reputations during
the gunfight at the _____________.
c. Although Arizona did not grow as quickly as Colorado, Nevada or Montana, by
1912 it did have enough people to apply for __________ as did neighboring
territory of __________.
E. __________minerals from the rugged mountains of the American West required
_______and ________.
1. Early prospectors extracted ores from shallow areas using a technique called
______________ which used simple tools such as picks, __________, and ______.
2. Other prospectors used __________ mining.
a. Diverted the current of a river into ________.
b. Water was directed into a box with metal "_____________" bars that caused....
c. A _________ at the end kept the minerals from escaping with the water and
sediment.
3. When deposits ran out near the surface, miners began _______________. Miners
sprayed ________ at a very high pressure which washed away dirt, gravel and rock
exposing the minerals.
F. Hydraulic mining began in the ______________ in California.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
a. Congress eventually passed a law in _____ which allowed this style of mining as
long as the company created...
b. Most mining companies had moved onto _______ mining. Deep mine shafts are
dug and miners....
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
II. Ranching and Cattle Drive
*Cattle ranching flourished because the "______________" was free for grazing.
*The Texas ____________ breed of cattle was adapted to the harsh climate of the
Great Plains.
*In the 1860's, ranchers began huge ________________ north from Texas to
reach the railroads in Kansas and Missouri.
*The cattle drives ended when ____________ caused prices to crash.
Use the picture and captions below to address the questions above.
(Q) About how many cowboys were needed to manage a herd of 2,500?
(Q) What did the cowboy do in the fall? In the winter?
(Q) What took place in the spring?
(Q) Name one cattle trail.
(Q) After the Civil War, where did the demand for beef grow?
(Q) What conflicts grew on the open range?
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
Using the map above, address the questions below.
(Q) Name three cattle trails.
(Q) Which trail began at Fort Concho and ended in Cheyenne?
(Q) Which trail met the trail head in Kansas City?
*What conditions combined in the 1860s to make raising cattle on the Great Plains profitable?
*How did the open range help the business of cattle ranching thrive?
II. Ranching and Cattle Drives
A. ____________ moved their flocks onto the range and farmers came in, breaking
up the land for their ________.
1. Then a new technological innovation cheaply and easily transformed the
Great Plains. This innovation, ______________.
2. The fences blocked the cattle trails.
3. __________ plunged in the mid 1880's and many ranchers...
4.The era of the open range ended, and cowboys became ranch hands raising
herds on ______-___ ranches.
*Most of today's Southwest had belonged to _________ and, later, the
_________________.
*When the U.S. defeated Mexico in 1848, the region's Spanish-speaking people became
___________________.
*Many Hispanics lost their land to ranchers who wanted to
________________________.
*________________ affected the cattle boom of the 1870's and 1880's by developing
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United States History: Chapter 2, Section 1
Settling the West
tools and techniques for ___________________.
*As the Southwest grew, Hispanics settled in neighborhoods called ______________.
(Q) What required the greatest practice and dexterity?
(Q) The word Vaquero comes from the Spanish word for what?
(Q) Give two techniques of cattle herding and management that Spanish settlers
brought.
(Q) Give two examples of Vaquero words that Western cowboys began to use.
(Q) What is a vaquero completo?
(Q) Give two examples of foods associated with the vaquero tradition.
Read in your textbook Changing Demographics in the Southwest (pg 100) to
Clashes and Compromises in the Southwest (pg 101).
END Chapter 2, section 1 --MINERS AND RANCHERS
QUIZ to be announced!
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