The Western Frontier
Who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad?
Immigrants, Chinese workers in the West, Irish workers in the Plains.
Why was the Transcontinental Railroad important?
It greatly aided the settlement of the West.
What was the Golden Spike?
The spike that was hammered into the railroad track at the Transcontinental Railroad completion ceremony.
What happened in Wounded Knee, South Dakota?
300 unarmed Sioux Indians were killed.
What was the Transcontinental Railroad?
A railroad that would join the East and the West.
What animal did Indians on the Plains hunt?
Buffalo
What did Farmers do out West?
Farmed the land, built sod houses because wood was not available
Who fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn?
General Custer and his men vs. the Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull.
Who did the Homestead Act of 1862 appeal to?
Many people after the Civil War who were looking for a new start especially soldiers.
What did Miners do out West?
Mined for gold and silver and other minerals once the gold and silver ran out
What three groups of people settled the West?
Miners (prospectors), Cattlemen (ranchers), and Farmers
Why did boomtowns become ghost towns?
Once the gold and silver ran out, miners abandoned the towns and moved on to find other ways to get rich.
Why did the Indian Wars end?
The Apache Chief, Geronimo was captured by the U.S.
Where did the Transcontinental Railroad completion ceremony take place?
Promontory Point, Utah
What was a cattle drive?
Ranchers led cows up from Texas to the Plains to be sold or shipped on the railroad.
What is the land set aside by the government for Native Americans called?
Reservations
What started to happen to the Indians when white settlers came in and killed the buffalo for sport?
Starvation.
Explain the Homestead Act of 1862.
The Homestead Act of 1862 applied to public lands. Any family could own 160 acres of land if they lived on it and farmed it for 5 years.
What two companies were responsible for building the Transcontinental Railroad?
The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad.
In order to speed up the Transcontinental Railroad process, what did the companies do?
The competed to see who would finish first.
Why did the Indians fight in the Indian Wars?
They wanted to fight to save their lands and their way of life.
What were boomtowns?
Towns that were developed very quickly. Miners developed them when they moved out West in search of golf and silver. No government or law enforcement was present. Life in these towns was rough.
What did Cattlemen do out West?
Worked on ranches, led cattle drives
