DR_The West by Ken Burns Netflix Flashcards
Starting out on Episode #4 where it gets more interesting.
People used to think they could escape their problems by going West, Circa 1850. Western settlement was suppose to be organized, but the California gold rush in 1849 and the war with Mexico turned it into a lawless chaos.
As hordes of people venturing into the Indian territory of Kansas, the territory of Kansas held an election to decide if it would be a free territory or a slave territory.
On election day, 5,000 men led by a Missouri senator Atchinson, came into town and seized the polling places. They cast four times as many ballots as there were registered voters in the territory. They installed a legislation that would make it a crime to even criticize slavery.
Their opponents, called free soilers, wanted Kansas to be a free state. Both sides would have a prequel to the Civil War in Kansas. Now Kansas had two governments at war with each other. Circa 1855.
Brigham Young had 27 wives! His Lieutenant, Heber Kimball had 43.
Emigrants were attacked by Indians and Mormons on 9/7/1857.
The elders sent a message to Salt Lake City to kill the emigrants or let them pass? Brigham Young said to let the wagons go, but the message got back too late!
Before the message arrived, the Mormons wiped the Emigrants out and blamed the massacre on the Palute Indians.
John D. Lee, 2nd in command under Brigham Young, led the battle to wipe out the wagon train. What they did was tell the Emigrants “We have the Indians under control Lay down your weapons and come with ut.” The Emigrants were reluctant but finally did as John D. Lee requested. After they marched aways, John D. Lee gave the order to “Do your duty”. The every Mormon shot the Emigrant walking next to him. Then the Paiute Indians finished off killing all others but a handful of small children who were too small to remember what the Mormons did that day 120 people were butchered; only 17 young children were spared. [MN: REM they were just wanting to “cross the priaire”!
The emigrants only crime was the had some “Missouri Wildcats”
These Wildcats heckled Mormons and said an army was going to kill everyone of them. In short they were trouble makers.]
Sand Creek__Indian massacre. Wombs ripped open and fetus butchered. Fetus and Women’s breast were cut off to make hat decorations and saddle horns. The Indian squaws begged for mercy but none was given. [Chivington –Military– did this.
Lakota Territory. William “Fetterman” a Lieutenant took 80 men to clear out all Indian raids after the Civil war. The Indians put two decoy braves within sight of the fort to taunt the soldiers. Fetterman and his 80 men chased the two Indian decoys into a ravine where his 80 men were massacred by 2,000 hidden Indians. Next day a search party found the remains. The dead 80 were mutilated. Skulls bashed in, ears and noses cut off, arms and legs cut off!
Episode #5: The Transcontinental RailRoad.
31 million hammer blows to lay the track. The free land awarded to the RRs was equal to California and most of Montana.
They used a 20 car work train as they built the RR. The people working lived in that train.
A working supply train followed the working train.
Each rail weighed 700 pounds. It took 5 men to lift it into place.
[MN: REM Sherman’s ties]
They layed 2 to 3 miles a day, six days a week. At this time there were 30 million Buffalo on the plains.
One wagon train was blocked by a huge herd 3 miles wide and 10 miles long.
1870’s. The Homestead act gave 160 acres to anyone who would work the land for 5 years and pay a $10 fee. This moved many people West.
It was a dream for immigrants. This brought many, many people from Europe to settle in the United States.
Buffalo Bones. So many Buffalo hunted, there were piles of Buffalo bones as tall as a man stood and the pile ran for a mile along the RR track. The bones were shipped East and ground up for fertilizer. 32 Million pounds of Buffalo bones were ground into fertilizer!
1874 The White man turned to trespassing on Indian reservations and killed their Buffalo. This threatened the Indian existence, so the Indians fought back.
Episode #6: then others to follow.
Episode #6 wasn’t that interesting. This space reserved for #7 and up.
