history: american west development of the plains 1862-1876 Flashcards
when was the development of the Plains?
1862-1876
what triggered the civil war?
southern states leaving the USA in 1861
when did the union defeat the confederacy?
1865
after the civil war who looked for a fresh start by migrating west?
ex soldiers and slaves
why were the homestead act and pacific railroad act passed during the civil war?
so that the southern states had no say in them
when was the homestead act?
1862
how many acres was in a plot of land given for the homestead act?
160 acres
how much did it cost to register a claim in the homestead act?
$10
who could file a claim?
anyone as long as they were: single, over 12 or head of the household
after how many years did homesteaders have to wait until they could “prove up”?
5 years
what did you have to do as a homesteader in order to prove up?
plant 5 acres of crops and build a house
how much did “proving up” cost?
$30
by 1876, how much government land was used by homesteaders?
6 million acres
how much land was homestead land in Nebraska?
half of it
what did homesteading in Nebraska encourage?
immigration from Europe
how much land was “proved up” by 1884?
13 million acres
why was only 13 million acres of land proved up by 1884?
the government granted more land to the railroads
how much land was granted to the railroads in the homestead act?
300 million
who did the government grant more land to for a higher price?
rich landowners, big ranch owners etc
when was the pacific railroad act?
1862
when did the southern states leave the union?
1861
what was a consequence of the southern states leaving the union?
the northern states selected a route that went from California to Nebraska
what two companies built the pacific railroad?
union pacific and central pacific
where did the union pacific build from?
Omaha and built its track west
where did the central pacific build from?
California and built east
what did the pacific railroad act extinguish?
the rights that Plains Indians might have land on the planned route
what did railroad companies use to encourage people to buy their land?
marketing
how many Scandinavians settled in Nebraska due to the pacific railroad act?
10,000
how many Germans settled in Kansas du to the pacific railroad act?
60,000
by 1880, how much land had the railroad companies settled?
200 million acres ( much more than the homestead act)
a consequence of the pacific railroad act was increased immigration from where?
europe
a consequence of the pacific railroad act was connecting the western territories to where?
eastern
a consequence of the pacific railroad act was declining numbers of what?
buffalo
a consequence of the pacific railroad act was enabling the growth of what?
the cattle industry
a consequence of the pacific railroad act was that settlers could buy products from where?
industrial cities
how much savings would a homesteader need?
between $800-$1000
what would homesteaders need to save for?
ploughing fields, digging a well and buying a horse and farming equipment
how could homesteaders run out of money quickly?
if it didn’t rain and their crops didn’t grow to sell
when was “self governing”?
1854
what was “self governing”
windmill to pump water out of the ground
when was the steel bladed windmill invented?
1870
what did it mean when the invention of the steel bladed windmill happened?
it could withstand the prairie winds but it wasn’t powerful enough to pump up from deep water wells
when was barbed wire invented?
1874
what was barbed wire used for?
fence off crops and livestock
when was barbed wire used broadly?
after 1880’s
what was bad about early types of barbed wire?
they were expensive, weak and rusted easily.
when was the sulky plough invented?
1875
what was the sulky plough used for?
to plough up the tough weeds and prairie grass
how many sulky ploughs were sold in the first 6 years of production?
50,000
why were walking ploughs more widely used?
early sulkies were unstable and could tip up
what became the main crop in Kansas due to it growing well?
“Turkey Red”
when was the Timber Culture Act?
1873
what did the Timber Culture act allow?
homesteaders to claim a further 160 acres if they promised to plant trees on a quarter of it.
why were trees good to homesteaders?
they acted as a wind break for the crops and provided settlers with timber to build houses
how much land had been claimed under the timber culture act ?
16 million by 1878
where was the only place that tree growing worked due to the lack of water in the Plains?
Minnesota
what were the new towns created by the railroad knows as ?
” hell on wheels”
why were railroad towns known as “hell on wheels”?
they were lawless
what did Abilene attract?
cowboys and gunfights
when did Thomas Smith become the marshal of Abilene?
1870
what did Thomas smith ban in Abilene?
guns
when was Thomas Smith shot and killed with an axe?
November 1870
when did Abilene return to lawlessness until?
April 1871
who was anointed marshal in 1871?
” wild bill” Hickok
why was Wild Bill Hickok sacked?
he enforced very little law
why did the civil war add to the problem of lawlessness?
army deserters and ex soldiers normally ended up in these towns
who were gangs of outlaws normally made up from?
former soldiers
why couldn’t the police stop gangs of outlaws?
law enforcement was still too weak
who did gangs terrify into doing what they said?
local people and law officers
what was the Reno Gang made up of ?
Civil War deserters, con men and thieves
how much money did the Reno Gang steal from a train?
$16,000
when did the Reno Gang steal from the train?
1886
what did a fourth robbery net the Reno Gang?
$96,000
when did texas become independent from mexico ?
1836
why was there issues with Texan cowboys herding cattle north?
Texas fever and quarantine laws
when did longhorn cattle numbers boom?
after the civil war in 1865
how much did a cow cost in Chicago compared to texas?
$40 in Chicago and $5 in texas
why were Kansas farmers preventing cattle drives to the north?
they wouldn’t allow cattle drives through due to Texas Longhorn fever
when was the goodnight loving trail established?
1866
who was the goodnight loving trail established by?
Charles goodnight and oliver loving
how much did oliver and loving make on their first cattle drive to new markets in the west near fort sumner?
$12,000
when did joseph McCoy purchase land in Abilene?
1867
how much land did Joseph McCoy purchase in Abilene?
450 acres of land
how many railway cars would be loaded at Abilene?
100
how did people get to Abilene?
via the Chisholm trail
when did John Iliff by land near Denver for a ranch?
1866
by when had Iliff built up a huge herd in the Colorado Plains?
1870
how many did Iliff have in his herd in the Colorado plains?
26,000
how did Iliff become a millionaire?
by selling beef to mining towns
when did Iliff win a contract to sell beef to Indian reservations?
1872
how many Indian reservations could Iliff provide for?
7,000
when was the beef bonanza in the west (ranching becoming the new way to get rich)?
1870
what was the consequence of the “beef bonanza”?
cattle barons
how were long drives dangerous for cowboys?
it could take up to 6 months
what happened regarding employment to cowboys when the cattle industry changed to ranching?
many cowboys were unemployed in the winter months and had to get jobs in bars
on ranches what did cowboys do?
they worked on the borders to round up cattle
how did ranchers block homesteading on “their” public land?
blocking access to water, threatening violence and range wars
what did the Indians not realise when the fort Laramie treaty would impact when letting construction teams onto their land?
the buffalo
what did the government begin to extinguish ?
any rights to land for the plains Indians along the railroad route
what san example of the railroad route going through indian lands?
the Union Pacific railroad went through the Pawnee lands
what did the Northern Pacific railroad go through?
vast indian territories
as cattle numbers increased what declined?
buffalo numbers
when was gild discovered in Montana?
1862
as more and more Americans moved onto the plains what did the government do to and promise the Indians?
Indians were moved onto reservations and were promised to be well cared for?
why were reservations bad?
they didn’t understand Indian cultures or ways of life, the farming land was poor and leaders of the reservations were often corrupt
why did white americans hate the reservations?
they were angry with the size
when did president grant have a Peace Policy ?
1868
who was made commissioner of Indian Affairs?
Ely Parker ( an indian himself )
what did ely parker say the Indians should be treated as?
helpless and ignorant wards
when was the Indian Appropriations Act?
1871
what did the Indian Appropriations act allow?
the government to easily take land
when was little crows war?
1862
in little crows war what did the chief of the Dakota Sioux agree to ?
move to two reservations
in little crows war why did the government refuse to pay for the annuities of the Dakota Sioux?
they still owed debt to traders
in little crows war how much annuities were they supposed to get?
$80,000
in little crows war why did trouble flare up with the warrior brotherhoods?
many bands left due to lack of food and trouble flared up when warrior brotherhoods were hunting
in little crows war when were the Dakota Sioux forced to sign half of their reservation away?
1858
in little crows war when did the Indians have to eat grass in desperation to survive?
1862
in little crows war ( in frustration) , how many US soldiers were slaughtered by the Indians?
600
in little crows war what was the final outcome?
the Indians were put on Crow Creek reservations
in little crows war how many Indian men were executed and who with significance with killed?
38 men executed and Little Crow was killed
when was the sand creek massacre?
1864
in the sand creek massacre what lands were crossed by prospectors going to Colorado?
Cheyenne and Arapho
in the sand creek massacre when was the treaty of fort wise?
1861
in the sand creek massacre what did tribe chiefs agree to due to the treaty of fort wise?
tribes agreed to move onto reservations but many young brotherhoods ( dog soldiers) refused.
in the sand creek massacre who set up a camp at Sand Creek?
Black Kettle
in the sand creek massacre, who was hired to kill and destroy hostile Indians?
colonel chivington
in the sand creek massacre how many men, women and children were massacred?
over 130
in the sand creek massacre what was the final outcome?
cheynenne and arapho Indians were put on a reservation half the size they were promised
in the sand creek massacre when were Cheyenne and Arapaho put on reservations?
1865
in the sand creek massacre what wasn’t given to survivors that they were promised?
compensation
when was red clouds war?
1866-68
in red clouds war what did the Bozeman trail cross?
the Lakota Sioux hunting grounds
in red clouds war who did red cloud not trust?
the American government and chose to fight
in red clouds war who was red cloud joined by to fight?
sitting bull and crazy horse.
in red clouds war what did red cloud sitting bull and crazy horse do?
attacked soldiers along the trail
in red clouds war who was trapped and killed?
captain fetterman
in red clouds war what was the final outcome?
the second treaty of fort Laramie was signed due to red clouds success
in red clouds war what was the exclusive use of the siuoux nation?
Great Sioux Reservation
