12/13/11 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 Review •  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 large, deep veins of ore aOracted the money and techniques of large corpora0ons •  They tunneled into mountains using huge drill, hydraulic pumps, and dynamite 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 12/13/11 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 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 •  Watch these clips from western movies that feature cowboys. What characteris0cs do cowboys have? •  hOp://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WTo_6xSsMcQ •  hOp://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JiLhDzFTxUY •  hOp://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=r81JNpuRSkA 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 12/13/11 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 Review • 
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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 12/13/11 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 Review •  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 12/13/11 Fron@er Myths •  Many fron0er towns calmed down quickly •  Towns omen offered a variety of churches and social organiza0ons for both men and women 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 self‐
improvement, and commiOed to democracy 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 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 Review •  Where was the first na0onal park? •  Who was Frederick Jackson Turner? What was his theory? •  What myths exist about the western fron0er? 5