Migration And Settlement Flashcards
When did Jedidiah Smith publicise his route through the Rocky Mountains called the Oregon Trail?
1825
What were the effects of the economic collapse on the East coast of America in 1837?
25% of people lost their jobs
People lose up to 40% of their wages
What did the government do surrounding the Oregon Trail in 1841?
They spent $30,000 on an expedition to properly map the Oregon Trail
This is led by John Fremont
What was known as the ‘Great Emigration’ in 1841?
A party of 60 people use the Oregon Trail to move West and in 1843 900 people use the trail led by Marcus Whitman known as the ‘Great Emigration’
When was the disastrous Donner Party migration?
1846
By which year did 5000 people use the Oregon Trail to move, the population of California at 8,000?
1846
When was the successful Mormon migration?
1846-7
What happened in the Gold Rush of 1849?
By 1855 300,000 people had moved to California in search of gold
What was the population of California in 1850?
120,000
When did settling on the Plains start to occur?
In the 1850s
Settling had begun in small numbers rather than just migrating across them
When were ‘self-governing’ windmills invented?
1854
Made it easier to take water from the ground- this made it easier to farm on the Plains
How did the government encourage people to settle on the Plains in 1854?
They created two new territories:
Nebraska
Kansas
What was the population of California in 1855?
300,000
What happened during the Civil War in 1861-1865?
7 southern states left the US due to conflict with the Northern states over how settle the West and slavery
When was the Homestead Act?
1862
When was the Pacific Railroad Act?
1862
How did the railroad companies pay for the construction of the railroad?
They began selling land on the Plains
In 1863 work begins on the railroad
What year was the railroad completed?
1869
When was the Sulky Plough invented?
1875
Made it easier to plough the hard land on the Plains
How many acres of government land had become Homestead land due to the Homestead Act in 1876?
6 million
When was the Timber Culture Act passed?
1876
This allowed Homesteaders to claim an extra 160 acres of land if they planted trees on the land
What was the Exoduster movement in 1879?
40,000 freed slaves move to Kansas and Missouri for a new start
How many acres of land had railroad companies sold in the West by 1880?
200 million acres
What was the Oklahoma Land rush in 1893?
The government give away Indian land to white settlers in Oklahoma
Over 2 million acres was given
