Chapter 3 1876 - 1895

• End of open ranching

  victim Of its own success - because there was so many cattle Barons, the plains became over stocked

  And there wasnt enough grass for all the cattles to feed on

  beef price fell as there was so much available

  Bad winter - great dry up 1886-1887

  Temp as low as - 55

  15% of the cattle on the plains had died

  Cattle barons went bust
• Impact of end of open ranges

  in 1871 realised smaller ranchers were easier to-mange. having fewer also increased the price

  life of the cow boy

  mundane life - less exciting

  now farmhands and looked after aminals, mended fneces and patrolled boundary of of ranch
• Exodusters 1879 


  Black slaves were freed after civil war in 1865

  moved away from racism in texas

  Heard false rumour that kansas was a state only for ex slaves - 40,000 moved to kansas

  Thoses who took part. In the movement called exodusters
• impact of exodusters 


  still poorer than settlers

  left with the land hardest to farm

  kansas state provided small amount of funding to them

  not as great of they hoped

  moved out to other states like nebraska and oklahoma
• oklahoma land rush 1889 - 1895

  in1887 Dawes plan broke up the reservations

  native family up on 160 acre of land each

  remaining land was open for settlement

  thousands lined up at the edge of natives territory

  7 land rushes from 1889 to 1895

  biggest in 1893 8 million acres of land
• billy the kid 1859 - 1881

  died at 21, famously killed 8 people

  began as a theft and cattle rusting as a teenager in new mexico

  then worked as a hired gun man in range wars

  famous for breaking out of jail

  1n 1878 involved in Lincoln county war

  sheriff garrett appointed to bring billy to justice

  when garrett court billy he made a grand escape after appearing in court

  1881 garrett shot him dead

  significant bc showed the powerlessness of the legal system in the west
• johnson county war 1892

  Ranchers and farmers clashed over land on the plains

  Called range war,
• causes of johnson county war 1892

  rich cattle ranchers owned a lot of land in wyoming and controlled local politics .

  accused homesteaders of catte rustling and push them off their land.

  bitter because suffered badly after the great die up and homesteaders with less land hadnt

  frequent violence

  rich ranchers belonged to a group called Wyoming stock growers association - rounded up any unbranded cattle

  in 1892 homesteaders got together and held their own round up before the WSGA
• what happened at jcw

  ranchers hired 22 gunmen to invade johnson county and kill 70 settlers. raised $100,000 for legal fees

  promised gunmen $50 per rustler they killed

  invaders failed because they were held off. county sheriff organised a posse to stop them, supported by local people, invaders surronded by 300 angry locals

  had to be rescued by us army
• what happened after jcw

  invaders went on trial

  had good lawyers because of $100,000 from ranchers

  had powerful friends including judge

  they dragged out the trial until the prosecution could no longer afford the costs, case had to be dropped

  relevant bc

  shows corruption of lawlessness in west

  killings planned by respectable wealthy business men, had power
• battle of little big horn 1876

  us army vs natives (natives victorious)

  causes - army general called george cluster

  led an expedition for gold in the black mountains , sacred ground of the sioux, breeching 1886 fort laramie treaty

  government did nothing to prevent, offered to buy black hills for $6 million, sioux refused

  thousands of Sioux and cheyenne left their reservations and joined sitting bull and crazy horse

  president grant gave them 60 days to return to thier reservations, army forced them to retuen
• Events of BofLBH

  Cluster scouts a camp of 2000 natives near little bighorn river

  Instead of waiting for backup him and 200 men attacked

  All 200 inducing cluster died

  Impact

  Americans outraged - cluster was a well respected war veteran

  Natives must ASSIMILATE OR DIE

  Reservations totally depended on government

  Previous treaties now ignored

  Took away Sioux weapons and horses
• extermination of buffalo 


  natives way of life depended on buffalos

  hunted them but only killing as many as they need

  in 1870s buffalo hunting became very popular

  Americans killed more then necessary

  encouraged this as they believed it would make natives give up land.

  1872 - 1874 4.5 million buffalo died

  trains taken to plains so buffalo hunted

  natives forced to farm but didn't have the skills so many died of starvation or diseases
• life on reservations after battle of little big horn

  even smaller -hard to hunt

  took power away from cheifs

  descions made up corrupted government officals

  live by us law

  sent to military styled schools

  brought up as Christian

  social issues like alcoholism and depression
• dawes act 1887


  1880s agreed to phase out reservations - expensive to run

  reservations broke up and each family given 160 acres of land

  left over land to Oklahoma land rush

  no eperience of farming

  brought more settlers to plains
• closure of indian frontier 1890

  declared end of frontier dividing america and wild west

  whole america civilised and settled

  manifest destiny achieved
• Causes of wounded knee massacre

  By 1880s, natives were desperate, they were stuck on restorations with letter food and fully dependent on the government.

  In 1890, a native called Wovoka had a vision tellings him that If they preformed a dance called the “Ghost Dance.“That would bring all dead back to life and carry away settlers
• Ghost Dance 


  seemed like their only hope and quickly spread across reservations.

  Americans believed it was some kind of rebellion and the government ordered the army to stop it.
• After math of Wounded knee massacre

  At wounded knee creek, the army open fired on a group of natives. 250-300 died, half of them; women and children

  it was significant because it was widely supported as settlers saw it as revenge for Custers defeat