2. Mining
When gold was discovered in the west hopeful
prospectors moved. Most prospectors didn’t
make money, but a few people hit is big. The
people who made the most money from the
gold rush were the company’s that made
mining materials. Levis jeans is a good
example.
3. Mining Towns
Many mining towns
were set up. When
people left they
turned into ghost
towns. Sometimes
the ratio of male to
female was 9:1. The
mining towns were
very diverse.
4. Cowboys
Cowboys did not to anything historical to the
west but they are a big part of the legacy. This
is because there are many movies made about
them and they are an iconic figure. There job
was to herd the cattle to the railroads. Life on
the trail was exhausting. They could be on the
trail for a month at a time. Most cowboys only
did one drive because it was such a bad job.
6. Railroads
The transcontinental railroad changed the
United States. It allowed people to move to the
west or just take a trip. It connected the two
halves of America. It turned a multi-week trip
into just a few days. 2 companies built the
railroad, the union pacific and the central
pacific. The each started at different ends and
built toward each other. It opened on May 10th,
1869.
8. Farming in the West
If you moved to the west you were given 160
acres to live on and farm. Farming was very
hard. It was also very boring. Farming is a big
gamble because it is all based on the weather.
Most farmers didn’t make a lot of money. Just
like the gold rush the people that made the
most money on farming were the people who
made farming tools. A good example id John
Deere.
10. Populists
Populists were people that fought for farmer
rights from the government. They wanted the
farmers to get benefits and make sure the
government wouldn’t take away their land.
11. Exodusters
Exodusters were African Americans that moved
to Kansas to escape the KKK and the Jim Crow
Laws. They were being treated like second class
citizens.
