Name _________________________________________________________________ Period _____________
Chapter 2 Reading Guide – Settling the West (1865-1890)
Lesson 1 pp. 96-101 Miners and Ranchers
Directions:
Define or identify the following:
1.
vigilance committee
2.
hydraulic mining
3.
open range
4.
hacienda
5.
barrios
Directions:
I.
Read the lesson and refer to your textbook to fill in the blanks for the outline below:
Growth of the Mining Industry
A.
II.
_______________________________ staked a claim near Virginia City, Nevada, that turned
out to be nearly pure silver and ore.
B.
Almost overnight it went from a town of ______________________________ people to
almost _______________________ people.
C.
Most mining ____________________________ did not survive when the mines closed, instead
they went ________________________ and most residents left.
D.
_____________________________ was a process that used simple equipment such as picks
and pans.
Ranching and Cattle Drives
A.
Some settlers began raising cattle on the ____________________________ after the Civil War.
B.
Cattle from the East could not survive on tough prairie grasses, but the ___________________
could survive in the harsh climate.
C.
Cattle ranching grew in part because of the vast areas of grassland owned by the __________.
D.
In 1866 ranchers drove about 260,000 cattle to _____________________________; this was
the first “long drive”.
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III.
Settling the Hispanic Southwest
A.
B.
Directions:
____________________________ taught American cowhands their trade and enriched the
English language with words of Spanish origin.
________________________ were the majority of the population in New Mexico.
Summarize the main ideas of this lesson by answering the following question:
Explain how mining and cattle ranching help prepare Western territories for statehood.
Lesson 2 pp. 103-105 Farming the Plains
Directions:
Define or identify the following:
1.
homestead
2.
dry farming
3.
sodbuster
4.
bonanza farm
Directions:
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B.
1.
Read each main idea below and use your textbook to supply the details that support or explain
each one.
Main Idea: During the late 1800s, construction of the railroads encouraged settlement of the Great Plains.
Details:
The Great Plains were once called The Great American Desert because of the scarcity of ______________
and _________________.
The population of the Great Plains grew steadily after the ________________________________.
One important factor that spurred population was the construction of the _____________________.
In the year 1862, settlement increased because of the passage of the __________________________.
The law entitled settlers to __________________________ acres and title to the land after living there for
_____________________________ years.
Main Idea: New farming techniques and new inventions helped to make the Great Plains the Wheat Belt
of the United States.
Details:
Two inventions that made harvesting large wheat crops easier were the ____________ and the
_________________________.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
The Wheat Belt included parts of the Dakotas and the states of _______________ and ____________.
In the 1880s a severe ____________________ destroyed much of the wheat crop and turned the soil
to ____________________.
However, by the 1890s wheat prices dropped because of _______________________.
In 1889, an event called the _____________ opened one of the last large territories for settlement.
Directions:
Summarize the main ideas of this lesson by answering the following question:
List the factors that contributed to the development of the Great Plains as a major agricultural region.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lesson 3 pp. 107-111 Native Americans
Directions:
Define or identify the following:
1.
nomad
2.
annuity
3.
assimilate
4.
allotment
Directions:
I.
Refer to your textbook to locate each heading below. Then use the information under the correct
heading and subheading to help you write each answer:
Struggles of the Plains Indians
A.
B.
What was a main source of food of the Plains Indians? _________________________________
Why did the Sioux agree to live on reservations? ______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
C. Who were the Lakota? ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
D. When was the U.S. Army defeated in Red Cloud’s War? _________________________________________
E. Where was Sand Creek and what occurred there? ______________________________________________
F. Why was the Indian Peace Commission a failure?_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
G.
What was the purpose of the reservations? __________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________________
II.
A.
The Last Native American Wars
When did the Battle of the Little Bighorn occur and what was the result? ___________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
B. Who was George A. Custer? _______________________________________________________________
C. What Nez Perce chief acknowledged the struggle was over by speaking these fateful words, “From where
the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever”? ________________________________________
D. Where did the Lakota Ghost Dancers and their families lose their lives in a final battle with the U.S.
government? ____________________________________________
E. What law gave Native Americans lots of land on the reservations and citizenship they lived on them for 25
years?____________________________________
Directions:
Summarize the main ideas of this lesson by answering the following question:
Explain the causes of the many uprisings between the Native Americans and the settlers.
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