Modern Times Glencoe / Mcgraw-Hill, 2008 Altho

Settling the West, 1865 to 1890 Chapter 4a, Pages 154 to 179 The American Vision: Modern Times Glencoe / McGraw-Hill, 2008 Although the Civil War had inflicted massive casualties on the entire nation, and left the South’s infrastructure damaged, the nation as a whole experience growth during the second half of the 1800s. The fighting of the war had been mostly in the southeastern parts of the country. West of the Mississippi, and north of the Mason- Dixon Line, railroads, telegraph lines, and factories continued to expand. People settled new land and began to farm it. In the West, three opportunities attracted settlers: mining, ranching, and farming. The initial wave of gold mining, the California Gold Rush, lasted from 1848 to 1856, but more and bigger discoveries of lead, coal, iron, copper, and other minerals began in 1859, when silver ore was found in Nevada. In the 1870s, mining began in Colorado, South Dakota, and Montana. Boomtowns grew near mining discoveries. These cities expanded their populations in a single year from near zero to many thousands. The inhabitants of these town were mainly men between the ages of 17 and 40. There were few women, children, or older people. Because of this imbalance, crime and violence were common. Another problem was the slow growth of proper law enforcement: it took time to establish sheriffs and police. Until a city government could be established, volunteers formed ‘vigilance committees’ to keep the peace. Near the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona, silver was discovered in 1877. The population quickly swelled to 14,000. In addition to miners, there were cowboys in the area. In the 1870s, the word ‘cowboy’ had negative connotations: they were associated with theft and violence. The Cochise County cowboys were Confederate sympathizers and Democrats from Southern states. The miners, townspeople, farmers, ranchers, and owners of small shops were largely Republicans from the Northern states. Anger and resentment from the Civil War still lingered. Among the Tombstone’s cowboys were Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, Wes Fuller, and Billy Claiborne. By early 1881, the cowboys were known for stagecoach robberies, murder, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness. Responsible for the safety of the town was U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp, Page 1 who appointed his brothers Wyatt and Morgan to help him. Virgil also appointed his friend John “Doc” Holliday. By October 26, 1881, repeated confrontations had raised tensions, and a shootout occurred between the six cowboys and the four lawmen. Several of the cowboys had been drinking all night, gambling, and starting fights. Virgil Earp told them to lay down their guns; they started shooting. Although this event came to be known as the “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” it occurred a block or two to the west of the corral. The ten men fired about 30 shots in 30 seconds. When it was over, three of the cowboys were dead. Although this was not the final end of the wildness in the West, it was a turning point, and marked growth of a more orderly civilization. This famous gunfight also produced a hero, Wyatt Earp. Although his brother Virgil was the ranking U.S. Marshal on the scene, Wyatt became famous for his skills and his noble character. Although mining remains an important activity to this day in the West, it declined from its peak in 1870s. Ranching emerged as an important occupation. Ranchers allowed cattle to graze on the natural grasslands of the plains, roaming freely for many miles, and then rounded them up, and took them on a ‘cattle drive’ to the nearest railroad stop — which could be hundreds of miles away. The cattle were loaded onto the trains and taken to cities like St. Louis or Chicago. The ‘long drives’ were expensive, but allowed ranchers to obtain higher prices for the cattle. The plains also became home to farmers, who raised wheat and corn. New plowing technologies and techniques made it possible to raise these crops even in the plain states which receive little rainfall: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Initially, there were tensions between ranchers and farmers, because cattle would trample crops during the long drives. But the invention of barbed wire kept the cattle from destroying the crops, and maintained good relations between ranchers and farmers. The word ‘cowboy’ obtained positive connotations around this time. Mining, ranching, and farming gave opportunities for ordinary people with little or no money to gain economic stability. Within a generation or two, a homeless and penniless family could become securely middle class. Many of these families were immigrants, who arrived in the United States with no wealth or possessions; they found the economic opportunities they were looking for. Page 2.

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