West Lesson 2: History (Part 1) Early People & U.S. Explorers Early People: Native Americans ● In the 1500’s-1700’s, the first people living in the West were the Native Americans ● Tribes in the West included: ○ Shoshone ○ Paiute ○ Yokuts ○ Pomo ○ Makah Native American Culture ● Each tribe/group had their own special culture ● The Shoshone and Paiute tribes were nomads (traveled around with no permanent home) ● The Pomo and Yokuts tribes liked in what is now California and made flour for cooking Native American Trade ● Rivers in this region made long-distance travel possible (and faster than having to walk through forests) ● Native Americans used the rivers to trade materials with other tribes ● The Dalles = special waterfall on the Columbia River where many Native Americans would meet to trade goods Exploring the West ● Until the early 1800’s, most people in the U.S. did not know much about the West region ● Until……... Explorers Lewis & Clark ● In 1804, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark led a group to explore the West ● The left from present day St. Louis and traveled up the Missouri River ● They met a Shoshone Native American named Sacagawea, who joined them as a guide ● In 1805, they reached the coast of the Pacific Ocean! Barriers for Explorers ● The Rocky Mountains were a barrier for explorers traveling to the west ● In 1813, some explorers found a pass, or opening, in between the mountains ● They named it the South Pass, located where Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado meet ● This made traveling to the West easier, and began to attract settlers! West Lesson 2: History Part 2 Settlers Head West! South Pass = Doorway to the West ● Starting in 1843, thousands of settlers drove their wagons through the South Pass to start new lives in the West ● Many settlers joined wagon trains = groups of wagons pulled by horses, mules, or oxen Where did the settlers actually settle? ● Most of the mountain areas were too dangerous and harsh to live in ● In the mid 1840’s, most settlers ended up in “Oregon Country” (present day Oregon and Washington) ○ This area had rich soil, a mild climate, and plenty of rain ○ Many settlers in this area became farmers and grew veggies and fruits! GOLD! ● In 1848, saw mill workers near Sacramento, California found small little pieces of gold ● News spread quickly, and people began to rush to California in hopes of getting rich! GOLD! ● Approximately 18,000 people rushed to California in 1848 and 1849 ● Due to so many showing up in 1849, these settlers were nicknamed the forty-niners Boomtowns ● Each time gold was discovered in an area of the region, miners would quickly flock to the area ● This resulted in towns quickly springing up, called boomtowns ● Many boomtowns are still major cities today ○ Helena, Montana & Denver, Colorado were boomtowns that are now state capitals! West Lesson 2: History Part 3 Linking the East & West Coasts Settlements along the Pacific Coast ● By 1860, many settlements grew along the Pacific coastline ● However, the Rocky mountains still seemed to divide them from the rest of the nation Pony Express ● In 1860 and 1861, the Pony Express carried mail to the West (yes, horses carrying the mail) ● The Pony Express began in Missouri, which was as far as the railroads could go at this point ● Think of it like a relay race: Each rider carried mail for approximately 75 miles ● It would take close to 10 days for mail to get to California Improving Communication: The Telegraph ● The invention of the telegraph soon took over the Pony Express process ● Telegraph = machine that uses electricity to send messages over wires ● This machine could send messages between the East and West coast within minutes! Improving Transportation: The Transcontinental Railroad ● The U.S. decided to invest their money in a big project that would change transportation in the West: The transcontinental railroad! ● One company started laying down tracks in Nebraska and continued West, and another started laying tracks in California and headed East ● The tracks met together and connected on May 10, 1869 in Promontory, Utah ● This allowed people to travel from New York to California in less than two weeks The West Grows! ● The railroad brought many more settlers to the West region ● California, Oregon, and Nevada were already states ● By 1896, Colorado, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah were states! The 49th & 50th States ● The U.S. added new lands even farther West than just the mainland! ● The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 ● Hawaii became a territory of the U.S. in 1898. Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states in 1959.