American History II, Note Set #1: Settling the West

I. “Manifest Destiny”: the idea that Americans had been given North America by God, who wanted them to settle it all and push out the Indians, Mexicans, and anyone else who got in the way A. The Oregon Territory  First white settlers arrived in the 1830s  By 1841, the Oregon Trail had been well-established B. California  California became part of the U.S. at the end of the Mexican War in 1848  Discovery of gold later that same year would lead to a rush of American settlers II. How Did Settlers Travel West? A. Wagon Trains  Groups of about 20-40 wagons per “train”  Conestoga Wagons covered about 15 miles/day for 5-6 months  Trains had to get through mountains before the first snow, or else … disaster  The Donner Party  Donner and his companions took a new route to California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but became trapped by winter snows  After eating all of their supplies and animals, half of the group starved to death; the rest resorted to cannibalism – eating their dead friends and family to survive C. Yankee Clippers (ship)  Quicker, more expensive, but still risky, trip by ship to California  Yankee Clippers traveled around the southern tip of South America III. Why Did Settlers Move West? A. Religion: The Mormons  Victims of persecution over their religious practices, including polygamy (allowing men to have multiple wives)  Their founder, Joseph Smith, was murdered in 1844  The Mormons finally settled near the Great Salt Lake in Utah in 1847, under Brigham Young B. Mining  Mining created “boom to bust” cycles where towns would be built in a short period of time and then abandoned (ghost towns) when the mines were exhausted  ’49ers: After the discovery of gold, over 300,000 gold-seekers called “’49ers” flooded into California  This led to the rise of San Francisco and Sacramento as a major cities  The Comstock Lode: silver mine discovered by Henry Comstock in 1859  Virginia City, NV went from zero to a population of 30,000 then crashed when the silver ran out in 1898 (today, pop. = only about 1500 people) C. Farming  The Great Plains: With no trees and no water, farm life on the Plains was challenging  Sod Houses: No trees for wood, so houses were built from sod – bricks of tough grass and dirt; settlers also burned sod and dried dung (poop) for heat and cooking  With little surface water available, settlers had to drill deep wells (300 ft+)  Temperatures: Summer = 100° +, winter = 0° or less  Prairie fires, swarms of grasshoppers, tornadoes, blizzards, thunderstorms – all were obstacles to overcome  Many settlers who went west just picked a spot and built a farm – they did not have any legal claim to the land; this is called “squatting”  U.S. Government later protected squatters by guaranteeing them the right to buy up to 160 acres for $1.25/acre  The Homestead Act (1862): $10 fee bought 160 acres of public land, but the occupant only got the deed after living there for 5 years  Anyone could file a claim, (except former Confederate soldiers), so immigrants and freed slaves began to flood the west  In total, over 1.6 million homesteads were awarded  The Morrill Land-Grant Act (1862): Each state was given 30,000 acres of federal land for each member of the state’s Congressional delegation  States could sell the land for money to create of colleges to teach agriculture and military skills  The Oklahoma Land Rush (1889): Due to demand for land, Congress allowed settlers to claim land in Oklahoma (land that had been set aside as Indian Territory)  April 22, 1889: Thousands gathered on the border to race to claim a share of 2 million acres; some (called “Sooners”) snuck into the territory early to lay claim to the best land D. Ranching  Spanish had introduced cattle to the region in the 1600s; herds had been left to roam free and had evolved into the tough, lean Texas Longhorns  Most cattle ranching took place in New Mexico & Texas  Early ranchers used the Open Range, the open grasslands on the Great Plains  Railroads built in the 1860s allowed more cattle to be moved east for use as food  Cowboys were a mix of poor whites, Latinos, and former slaves E. New Opportunities for Minorities  Women  In the West, women could own property & businesses, become influential community leaders  Most were farmwives, some worked as cooks or laundresses, still others worked as prostitutes  A few were even adventurers, such as Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane Burke  Immigrants in the West  Thousands of Irish immigrants moved to the Midwest in the mid-1800s  Thousands of Chinese immigrants arrived in California seeking jobs  Both groups played a major role in building the West’s railroads  African-Americans  Worked on the railroads and as cowboys  Most moved West to claim their own farmland  Some served as “Buffalo Soldiers” in the US Army during the Indian Wars  Nickname “buffalo soldiers” came from the Native Americans they fought, who admired their dark, curly hair and fierce fighting ability, both of which reminded the Indians of the buffalo