5.10 Railroads, ranches and cow towns

• When was the Pacific Railroad Act approved?

  1862
• What were companies who built the railroads given in return?

  • money

  • 5 miles of land on each side of track
• What companies built the railroad?

  • Union Pacific

  • Central Pacific
• When were the railroads completed?

  1869
• What impact did the railroads have on natives?

  • cut through natives land and distrupted buffalo

  • encouraged more settlers and cattle ranches to settle on Plains
• What impact did the railroads have on workers?

  • over 12,000 workers were chinese immigrants

  • recieved little money

  • worked in dangerous conditions - accident rates were high
• What impact did the railroad have on USA?

  • new towns created on railroad lines - violent and drunken

  • towns grew - law and order improved

  • new lines buil

  • journey went from taking a few months to days
• What was taking cattle over the Plains called?


  long-drives
• What concequence did long-drives have?

  disrupted buffalo - natives hunting ground
• What was the first cow town called?

  Abilene
• Cow towns:

  • located on railroad lines

  • places were called were bought and sold

  • cowboys could rest and spend wages

  • drunk and violent times

  • by 1870s developed own laws and hired sheriffs
• Cattle ranches:

  • located on Plains

  • meant cattle did not have to be driven all the way from Texas

  • needed lots of grass and water - overgrazing was a big problem