American West Flashcards
Why did smaller ranches become the model for the cattle industry in 1887?
The Great Die up, smaller herds easily found, easier to provide water, easier to guard, reduced the supply of beef which made prices go up
How did Joseph McCoy set up Abilene?
Bought 450 acres, built a stockyard, negotiated a railroad side track, constructed a hotel, marked out the Chisolm Trail
What were the three types of Chief in Indian society?
War chief, Spiritual chief, Diplomatic chief
Why did Whites want to give Indians money?
To civilise them, and make them act more White - dependent on American life rather than Indian life
What act established a permanent Indian Frontier?
Indian Trade and Intercourse Act 1834 - Kept whites and Indians apart, prevented sale of guns and alcohol to Indians
What caused soil erosion?
Drought and Overstocking cattle
Who were the Pinkerton National Detective Agency?
Private law enforcement used to track down outlaws and bring them to justice
Why was there an Exoduster movement?
Oppression of Black Americans in the South, Individuals promoted a black emigration, Kansas was anti-slavery, Homestead Act
How did the Indians hunt Buffalo?
Lived a nomadic life (followed the Buffalo), Horses, Bows and Arrows
Which individual made an open range ranch between Denver, Colorado and Wyoming?
John Iliff
What were the problems with the Homestead Act?
- Only 16% of the land was used
- More homestead land was bought by railroad companies
- 60% of homesteads were not proved up
- Rich landowners would use employees to gain more land
Name 3 problems getting the Fort Laramie Treaty signed?
- Choosing a representative of each tribe
- Getting all tribes involved
- Agreeing boundaries (Indians did not understand this)
- Translation
Why did Red Cloud’s War start?
Prospectors using the Bozeman trail, the US army planned to build forts along it in Indian Territory
Why did Little Crow’s war start?
Banned getting money and food if they left reservation to hunt, were given mouldy food, whites settling on their land
What did Red Cloud do during his war?
Attacked soldiers building forts, Fetterman’s trap (killed 80 soldiers), Surrounded Fort Phil Kearny
Name three different Nations/Tribes of Indian
Crows, Cheyennes, Sioux (Dakota, Lakota, Nakota), Apaches, Omaha’s, Comanches, Pawnees, Kiowas
What happened to Little Crow after his war?
Scalped and decapitated by a bounty hunter
What year was the Great Die Up?
What happened?
Winter1886/7 - Harsh cold winter killed 15% of all open range cattle
What was the Indian Appropriation Act 1851?
Moved Plain Indians in Indian Territory onto Reservations
How did the railroad help Homestead life?
- Travel easier
- Order products that would be transported close to them
- Towns started to be built
Name 4 ways people broke the law in the West?
Claim Jumping
Salting a claim
Racism
Prostitution
Murder
Robbery
What did the Indians use Buffalo for?
Food
Knives (Bones)
Blankets (Fur)
Soap (Fat)
Hairbrush (tongue)
Tools and Glue (Hooves)
What was the impact on cowboy’s after the end of the open range?
Less adventurous lives, lived in bunkhouses, had to patrol the land
What two acts did the Northern states pass in 1862?
The Homestead Act
Pacific Railroad Act