Development of Plains 1862-76

• when was the American civil war

  1861-65
• American civil war

  happened as Abraham Lincoln was elected president ( against slavery )

  between the north ( against slavery ) and the south ( for slavery )

  as south werent part of usa, north decided what to do with the west, in 1862 signed homestead act and pacific railroad act

  when south lost war In 1865, it was heavily damaged by fighting and economically ruined so headed west for new life
• homestead act

  Giving people 160 acre plot for $10 to farm

  There was laws about how much one could buy to prevent rich businessmen buying and selling land to make profit

  Anyone over 21, with a family, women or ex slave could buy

  Not natives though

  Encouraged people to migrant west
• success of homestead act

  by 1876, 6 million acres had become homestead

  increased population in west

  eventually 60 million acres had been claimed
• limitation to homestead act

  plain conditions were hard to farm

  60% failed to make a living

  rich businessmen took advantage of cheap land
• pacific railroad act

  split between 2 companies - union pacific railways and central specific railway

  government gave $16,000 per mile and $48,000 for mountainous areas

  connected east to west

  was too expensive and risky for 1 company
• impact of railroad on settlers

  farmer could trade easily

  encouraged European migration

  made travelling cheaper and quicker

  towns grew rapidly

  lawlessness increased
• nation impact of railroads

  many felt manifest destiny was achieved

  connected western and eastern states

  increased trade - economic benefits
• railroad impacts on natives

  moved away from rail routes

  reduced buffalo number by disrupting their herds and bring hunters to the plains

  more settlers
• railroads impact on cattle industry

  growth - cattlemen could now move and sell cattle in the big cities
• solutions to problems with farming on plains

  windmills

  barbed wire

  sulky plough

  new crops

  railroad

  timber culture act
• windmills

  1854

  used to pump water from underground

  no deeper than 30ft

  needed a lot of maintenance
• Barbed wire

  1874

  Used to fence off land and protect crops from animals

  Wire was cheaper than wood

  But early types rusted and broke easily
• sulky plough

  1875

  strong enough to plough through thick grass on the plains

  very popular

  early versions toppled over
• turkey red

  Type of wheat

  Grew well on dry plains

  Founded from a group called the Mennonites

  Emigrated from russia in 1873, where they had similar climate
• rail roads

  easier for homesteaders to visit family

  life on plains less isolated

  journey west was easier

  no longer necessary to travel by wagons

  easier to sell and order products from east

  towns sprung up along the railroads which had places to trade and socialise
• Timber culture act 1873 


  was an addition to the homestead act; allowed homesteaders to claim another 160 acres as long as they planted trees on a quarter of it

  planting trees aimed to make homesteading easier by providing timber and acting as a wind break

  16 million acres had been claimed by 1878

  many trees died due to lack of water

  act was exploited by claimed land just to sell it
• after civil war

  Many couldnt find jobs in west so turned to crime for example, Reno Gang, who were famous for train robberies in the 1860s

  When they were arrested in 1861, locals formed a vigilance committee and lynched them

  As federal law was often too weak to deal with outlaws
• vigilance committees

  due to the federal law being too weak some formed their own private detective committee to hunt criminals, for example Pinkerton Detective Agency ( formed 1850 ) who arrested the Reno Gang
• railroads causing lawlessness

  towns near railroads grew very quickly

  worse of all cow towns, where cowboys would bring their cattle to be put into trains then spend their wages on gambling, alcohol and prostitution

  led to frequent gun fights and rowdy behaviour

  nicknamed ’hell on wheels‘

  for example Abilene which banned cowboys after the killing of a marshal
• Growth of cattle industry - cattle trails 1850s

  Began in Texas 1850

  Cattle bred in texas then taken by cowboys to Missouri to be sold in the north

  Called in long drive which took 2 - 3 months
• Growth of cattle industry - the civil war 1861-65

  During the war cowboys went to fight and their cattle were left

  therefore numbers boomed as left un managed

  As there was so many cattle demand and price decreased
• growth of cattle industry - goodnight loving trail

  1866

  took cattle to reservations and mining towns in west

  beginning with 2000 cattle to starving natives

  Significant as it expanded the cattle westwards
• growth of cattle industry - Joseph McCoy - Abilene

  1867 a businessman McCoy developed Abilene, first cowtown

  cattle put into trains then taken to cities in the north

  situated by the rail road, and along an existing trade route

  1867-72. - 3 million cattle were taken
• growth of cowtowns - john Illif and open range

  realised it was easier and cheaper to raise cattle on the plains, rather than raise them in texas and drive them to Adeline

  brought land in colorado and raised 26,000 cattle

  start of the open range ranching

  cattle roamed freely on plains

  cattle barons like illif become very rich and started the ‘ beef bonanza’
• role of a cowboy - stage 1 - the long drive

  Cowboys job was to drive cattle to from Texas, took 2-6 months

  Typical drive was 3000 cattle and 12 cowboys

  Long drive was adventurous, exciting and thrilling

  Faced many challenges like attacks from natives and wild animals

  Could be dangerous
• Homesteaders

  Wanted to use land to farm, grow crops and glaze sheep

  Disliked cattle ranchers as cattle would go into their land and destroy their crops
• cattle ranchers

  usually wealthier than homesteaders and used their land to produce cattle

  calmed that homesteaders sheep spread diseases and used up grass they wanted for their cattle
• homesteaders vs ranchers

  R threatened h with violence and accused them of cattle rustling

  r took h to court, knowing h couldn't afford legal fees

  r divided up land which was surrounded homestead land which meant it was impossible for h to get to

  abused the system to get more land by getting relatives and employees to register for land then force them to hand over the right to ranchers
• Impact on settlement for natives - railroads

  Went through native land causing tension

  Disrupted buffalo herds and brought hunters to the plains

  All natives right to land had been extinguished

  Nothing natives could do to stop as it was agreed in the 1851 fort Laramie treaty
• impacts of settlement on natives - cattle industry

  cattle competed with buffalo for grass, as cattle increased buffalo decreased

  4.5 million cattle in the west by 1880

  became harder to survive off the buffalo so many natives became cowboys - took away from traditional life and dependent on settlers

  cattle industry caused conflict between natives and cowboys as they crossed native land
• impact of settlement on natives - gold prospectors

  when gold was discovered thousands flocked to find gold, brought diseases

  colorado - 1859 settled on land of Cheyenne resulting in sand creek massacre

  Montana - 1862 used Bozeman trail through Lakota hunting ground causing the red cloud war

  black hills 1874 - gold hunting expedition by General cluster triggered a gold rush in scared lands of Sioux, resulting in battle of little big horn
• why did natives move to reservations

  Deemed as only way to survive - small area was better than no land

  Government promises usually sounded good eg fort laramie treaty 1851

  Once it became clear that government rarely kept its promises tribes refused to stay on reservations
• impact of reservations

  no understanding of native culture, usually far from sacred land or with enemy tribes

  typically put on low quality land that Americans did not want

  usually hard to farm and dependent on government handouts

  ran by corrupt officials

  when settlers claimed reservations were too big the Government made them smaller
• Indian appropriation Act 1871

  
  

  natives no longer recognised as an independent nation or tribes

  therefore government no longer had to make treaties with them

  policy was Ely Parkers ideas who argued that natives should be treated as wards ( children who were put into care of a guardian adult )
• causes of little crows war 1862

  in 1851 the Dakota, Sioux tribe in Minnesota had given up 24 million acres and moved to reservations in return for money and supplies from government

  Government didnt stick to promises

  reservation agents refused to provide food until tribe paid debts

  Natives began to starve
• events of little crows war

  1862 tribe was desperate and had to survive by eating grass

  led by chief called little crow and raided government storehouses for food

  Warrior brotherhoods attacked settlers towns killing 600 Americans
• consequences of little crows war

  400 sioux warriors arrested

  38 hanged ( biggest hanging in us history )

  rest of tribe was moved to even smaller and poorer reservations
• sand creek massacre causes 1864

  result of colorado gold rush, as prospectors hunted for gold in land of Cheyenne

  Treaty of fort wise in 1861 agreeing to move out of the way and onto reservations

  however many dog soldiers refused to accept treaty and fought the prospector
• sand creek massacre events 1864

  a chief called black kettle set up camp at sand creek, colorado, in prep for peace talks

  colonel chivington attacked black kettles camp

  he and his men killed 130 natives inc women and children even after they surrendered

  took their bodies as trophies