Caitlin Palasinski Dr. Merrill PowerPoint 1 Technology in Education EDU 290

1. The “Wild” West
A Tale of Gold, Trains, Indians, and
Buffalo
By Caitlin M. Palasinski

2. The Great Railroad Race
• In 1848 gold was discovered in California.
• A transcontinental railroad was built to get to
it.
• Trains made travel shorter and cheaper.
• Congress asked two train companies to start
building the railway.
• The companies were:
– The Union Pacific Railroad.
– The Central Pacific Railroad.

3. The Transcontinental Railroad

4. The Union Pacific Railroad
• The head: Grenville
Dodge.
• Workers: “ former
soldiers, African
Americans, and Irish and
German immigrants.”
• Workers lived in a train
that followed them.
• The train had huge cars
with bunk beds.

5. The Central Pacific Railroad
• The head: Charles Crocker.
• Most workers left company when they reached the
Sierra Nevada.
• The Company then hired mostly Chinese workers.
• Other workers mistreated the Chinese workers.
• This is because of prejudice.

6. How Train Tracks Were Made
• Tools: Picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows.
• The tools were used to make the road smooth.
• Ties were put across the ground.
• Iron Rails were placed on ties
• The rails were held with spikes.

7. The “Wedding of the Rails”
• The date was May 10, 1869.
• Both railroads met at
Promontory Point, Utah.
• A telegraph was used to
record when the “last spike”
was driven into the ground.
• It was celebrated all across
the U.S.
• Four more transcontinental
railroads were built.
• The railroad joining
ceremony didn’t go
smoothly.

8. Conflicts with the Indians
• The Plains Indians had settled the West first.
• Their way of life depended on buffalo.
• The railroad brought many people.
• The Indians attacked railroad workers.
• Resulting in a fight with Union Pacific Railroad.

9. Conflicts with the Indians Continued
• The government tried to stop the fight.
• They sent the Indians to reservations.
• The Indians wanted to hunt buffalo.

10. The
Uses
for
Buffalo

11. The Disappearing Buffalo
• Buffalo were killed to force Indians to the
reservations.
• Less buffalo had dangerous consequences.
• The Indians had to depend on the
government.
• They needed food but it was spoiled.
• Or the food was sold.
• The Indians rebelled.

12. The Battle of Little Bighorn
• Occurred in 1876.
• Between the army and the Sioux.
• Gold was found in the Black Hills.
– Where: on Sioux land.
– Government wanted them to leave.
– Sioux planned to fight.
– The government sent troops to capture them.

13. The Battle of Little Big Horn Continued
• The Indians were led by:
– Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
• The Armed Forces were led by George Custer.
– Plan: to find Indians and wait for reinforcements.
– What happened: Custer attacked.
• Results:
• Custer and his men all died.
• This is considered “the Sioux’s last victory.

14. Faces of the Battle
George Custer
Chief Crazy Horse
Sitting Bull

15. “The Nez Perce’s Long March”
• The government wanted
the Indians to move to a
reservation.
• Young Indians rebelled.
• The Indians had to escape
to Canada.
• They fought 13 battles.
• They walked over 1,000
miles
• 40 miles from Canada
they were captured.
Chief Joseph

16. Final Words
• The railroad caused:
• Huge changes in travel
• Conflict with the Indians
• Changes in everyday life

17. Works Cited
All of the information is from the book: Banks, James A., et. al. United States And its Neighbors: Teacher’s Edition. New York:
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Publishing Company, 1993. Print.
• Slide 1, picture 1: http://www.old-picture.com/old-west/Passenger-Train-West-Old.htm
• Slide 3, picture 1: http://mrberlin.com/transcontinentalrailroad.aspx
• Slide 4, picture 1: http://transportationheroes.org/heroDetail.php?id=22
• Slide 4, picture 2: http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/155765/enlarge
• Slide , picture 1: http://www.asianweek.com/2012/01/04/significant-dates-in-asian-americanchinese-american-history/
• Slide 5, picture 1: http://www.kued.org/productions/chineseamerican/resources/photos_ushs.html
• Slide 6, picture 1: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/95565/Workers-laying-tracks-for-the-Central-Pacific-
Railroad-in-Nevada
• Slide 8, picture 1: http://westernsreboot.com/
• Slide 12, picture 1: http://lprewittmccracken.weebly.com/important-information-about-native-americans.html
• Slide 14, picture 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43619751@N06/4098309687/
Slide 14, picture 1: Chuck_893, “Maj. Gen G. A. Custer” November 18, 2011 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
• Slide 14, picture 2: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2582/5795511910_79dd6723b3.jpg
Slide 14, picture 2: Pearlmatic, “1885 Sitting Bull by David Frances Barry” June 3, 2011 via Flickr, Creative Commons
Attribution.
• Slide 14, picture 3: http://www.flickr.com/photos/64609450@N08/5876439356/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Slide 14, picture 3: Wanagi Ska, “Chief Crazy Horse, Lakota” June 27, 2011 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
• Slide 15, picture 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gizart68/5198527129/
Slide 15, picture 1: John Patterson, “Chief Joseph 30"x42“” September 18, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
• Slide 16, picture 1: http://www.schillerinstitute.org/lar_related/2008/lar_maglev_conf.html