Settlement of the Plains Flashcards
Transcontinental Railroad
A railroad that spans the country, built n 1862
Reservation
Land set aside by the government for Indians to live on
Ghost Dance
An Indian dance around fire that brought missing buffalo, dead ancestors, and children home from the eastern schools in a cloud
Wounded Knee
Chief Big Foot and 350 others went to other camps to try to stop the Ghost Dance, while Indians were surrendering their guns, one went off and they went into war, 300 men, women, and children were killed. The spirit of the Indians was broken and they were moved onto reservations
Sand Creek Massacre
Black Kettle signed a treaty with the government, Chivington massacred the whole camp- 200 old men and women and children were killed, Chivington claimed to have killed 500 warriors on the warpath
Little Bighorn
Miners found gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Indian territory that was sacred to the Lakota, Custer and the 7th Cavalry were outnumbered 10:1 and they were all killed, the Lakota escaped to Canada
Fred Harvey
Harvey House, the first chain of restaurants, along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroads, Harvey did not make a profit, but he made a lot of money from the railroad lines
The Homestead Act
Provided 160 acres of land if settlers would build a house and live there for 5 years, this was a great opportunity for single women to own land, great farming because of fertile soil
Cattle Drives (What were they, why did they end?)
Herding cattle over long distances to a cowtown, ended in 1886-1887 because blizzards killed off the cattle and there were trains to ship cattle instead
Effects of Railroads on the Country
Expanded the population across the United States, new businesses, new immigrants, new jobs, faster travel times, first mail-order catalog, etc.
