#9 AIM: How was the Frontier Initially Settled?

As traders and their wagon trains, adventurers, & miners on their way to the California gold rush, crossed the vast Great Plains, most ignored this vast area because of the presence of Indians and the scarcity of water. It wasn’t until the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, in 1869, that white settlers populated this land.

The earliest whites in the West were fur trappers, who hunted for beaver & elk & sold their hides to either the Indians or traders back east. Discoveries of silver & gold attracted miners from all over the world looking for riches. Eventually they would be joined by large companies, which had the capital to more efficiently extract the precious metals. Many boomtowns developed to service the needs of these miners, but these towns were abandoned when the costs of operation became too high to be profitable or the mines ran out of silver, gold etc.

Wild cattle had roamed the Great Plains since they had escaped from the Spanish explorers in the mid 1500’s. Many of these animals were rounded up into herds & small cattle ranches developed. These ranches were not very large or profitable because there was no easy way to get the cattle to the large eastern markets. However when the railroad was extended into Kansas, it was now possible to drive the herds from Texas to the railheads in Abilene, Dodge City or Wichita, Kansas, & then to the stockyards of the eastern cities. Now that cattle could more easily reach the railroads & markets the cattle business prospered & attracted more people to the region.

The mining & cattle towns that developed in the West were violent & lawless places that attracted gamblers, swindlers, rustlers, & prostitutes. There was little organized govt., court systems, or laws to protect the general population. Often incensed citizens took the law into their own hand & formed vigilante committees to track down & punish lawbreakers. As the towns matured jails were built, law enforcement personnel were hired, & judges would make the “circuit” or appear in the towns on a regular basis to conduct trials.

The Cattle Kingdom grew rapidly until a series of misfortunes hit the area in the mid 1880’s & drove many ranchers out of business. As the supply of beef increased this reduced the price, making it more difficult for ranchers to make a profit. As more settlers (farmers) moved into the Great Plains they fenced in their lands making it difficult for cattle to graze. In addition the farmers & ranchers argued over land rights & water use & the ability of rangers to drive their cattle to the railheads over land that was now claimed by the farmers. In 1862 Congress had passed the Homestead Act offering anyone a 160 acre property provided they pay a $10 fee & live & work on the land for 5 years. Many land speculators purchased huge tracts of land from the govt. & resold the land to those who could not afford the $10 fee. This greatly restricted the movement of cattle on the Plains. Finally the winter of 1886-1887 was very severe causing thousands of head of cattle to freeze to death & put many ranchers out of business.

HOMEWORK: Read pgs. 562 – 574. Do T & N # 1,4 & 7 on pg. 562 & Ques. 3 A & B on pg. 561. Do pg. 568 T & N # 1 & 4.