The document summarizes key events and developments in the American West between the mid-19th century and late 19th century, including the lives of Plains Indians, the rise of mining and railroads, cattle drives and ranching, and the decline of the buffalo and Native American way of life. It mentions the Comstock Lode silver strike, the building of the transcontinental railroad, the Chisholm Trail that drove cattle to market, the Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people, the Battle of Little Big Horn, the Ghost Dance religion, and the Wounded Knee massacre.

1. US History II Unit 1 - PowerPoint

2. Click on the button to go directly to the section of Unit 1: Section 1 = Plains Indians Section 2 = Miners + Railroaders Section 3 = Ranchers + Cowhands Section 4 = A way of life ends Section 5 = Farmers

3. Great Plains Region between Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. Was home to many Native American tribes

4. Plains Indians

5. Buffalo on the Plains

6. The Comstock Lode Huge silver-mining area near Virginia City, Nevada, that yielded about $300 million in silver and gold ore. The lode was named for Henry Comstock, an investor who, ironically, sold out early and made only a small amount of money.

7. Sutter's Mill

8. Transcontinental Railroad

10. PBS web resource

16. Promontory Point, Utah – May 10, 1869

18. Chisholm Trail Jesse Chisholm’s wagons cut ruts in the prairie from Texas to Kansas. This trail later became known as the CHISHOLM TRAIL and was used by the cowboys to drive the longhorn cattle to market

19. Cattle Drives

20. Sand Creek/Chivington Massacre Colorado In spite of the American flag and a white flag flying over the camp, US troops attacked, killing and mutilating about 200 of the Indians, two-thirds of whom were women and children.

21. End of Buffalo

22. Battle of Little Big Horn

23. Other notables… Chief Joseph of Nez Perce Geronimo of Apache

24. Ghost Dance Wovoka began spreading the "gospel" that came to be known as the Ghost Dance Religion. He claimed that the earth would soon perish and then come alive again in a pure, aboriginal state, to be inherited by the Indians, including the dead, for an eternal existence free from suffering.

25. Wounded Knee

26. Election of 1896