Old West Terms

Chivington Massacre (Sand Creek Massacre)

1864, militia force under Colonel John M. Chivington killed 450 Cheyenne & Arapaho men, women and children in Colorado territory.

Dawes Severalty Act

The act passed with the intent to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream of American life by dissolving tribes as legal entities and eliminating tribal ownership of land.

-Divided Indian land \n -In 25 years, each Indian would be a citizen of the United States

Sioux War

(1876-77) the climax of the Indian Wars \n -the American army was led by Colonel George Armstrong Custer \n -the Indian army was led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse \n -American army finally managed to defeat the Indians, forcing them onto reservations \n --> Caused because Sioux had not received the the regular payments they were promised.

Joseph Glidden

designed the first practical barbed wire

Homestead Act

1862- Provided 160 acres of free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it for 5 years. Encouraged westward migration.

Plains Indians

Declined because they were being killed, settlers were occupying their land, and the Buffalo was being hunted and slaughtered.

Old Indian Policy vs. New Policy

Old- Push them westward beyond the Mississippi River \n New- give them large patches of land where they'll be undisturbed

Peace Commission

Aimed at ending conflict on the Plains to make it safe for settlers. Set up two reservations (Black Hills and Oklahoma). Miners will trespass and find gold in the Black Hills and Indians will be forced to give up much of their land.

Little Bighorn

In 1876, the Native Americans beat Custer and his troops to the Little Bighorn river in Montanna

Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce

When the US govt attempted to remove them from the Oregon territory, violence broke out when Nez Perce warriors killed several white settlers without Chief Joseph's blessing

-Ambushed by U.S. army and they killed 200 unarmed Indians

Destruction of the Buffalo

The most significant blow to tribal life on the plains; caused by by over-hunting by Native Americans, tourists, fur traders, and even the US Army.

Timber Culture Act

added to the Homestead Act stating a person who planted 40 acres of trees and maintained timber for 10 years were granted 160 acres of land

-land was just grass and bad for cultivation

Timber and Stone Act

Land that was deemed "unfit for farming" was sold to those who might want to "timber and stone" (logging and mining) upon the land. The act was used by speculators who were able to get great expanses declared "unfit for farming" allowing them to increase their land holdings at minimal expense.

A Century of Dishonor

written by Helen Hunt Jackson in 1881 to expose the atrocities and crimes the United States committed against Native Americans in the 19th century

Wounded Knee, 1890

Massacre of Native Americans in the state of South Dakota. Marked the end of the Indian Wars and the close of the western frontier.

-Killed sitting bull, soldiers opened fire

Geranimo

\n leader of Apache tribes; \n fought against Mexico and the U.S. for their expansion into tribal lands \n -Surrended to U.S. authorities

Open Range

vast areas of grassland owned by the federal government

-Decline due to too many cattle, bad weather and gov't intervention to put an end to cattle kingdom.

evolution of Indian policy

-Jackson's policy of moving eastern American Indians to the west based on the belief that west of Mississippi would be a permanent "Indian Country" \n -However, westward expanded fighting b/w plain Indians

Turner Thesis

The historian Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier was the key factor in the development of American democracy and institutions; he maintained that the frontier served as a "safety valve" during periods of economic crisis.

-symbol of freedom and pioneering

Boom Towns

a town undergoing rapid growth due to sudden prosperity such as discovery of gold or silver.

Mining Frontier

The discovery of gold in CA in 1848 caused the first flood of newcomers to the West. A series of gold strikes and silver strikes in what became the states of Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota kept a steady flow of hopeful young prospectors pushing into the Western mountains.

Comstock Lode

First discovered in 1858 by Henry Comstock, some of the most plentiful and valuable silver was found here, causing many Californians to migrate here, and settle Nevada.

Frontier Law

Laws made about the size, staking and defense of mining claims Congress passed 1st major mining act in 1866- enacted the rules that had been adopted by the miners themselves

Cattle Frontier, Ranching, Trails

Cattle raising was originally started by Mexicans, and the development of the railroad made it profitable for Americans to do so as well in the Great Plains. Cattle were herded from TX to railheads in Kansas where cow towns would develop.

Longhorn Steer

Breed of cattle known for its horns and has a superior sense of smell

Railroads

Were essential to westward expansion because they made it easier to travel to and live in the west-Coal & supplies in, crops out to market, and responsible for killing Buffalo

The Long Drive

Refers to the overland transport of cattle by the cowboy over the three month period. Cattle were sold to settlers and Native Americans.

CowTown

A town that serves as a market or shipping point for cattle

-Cowboys delivered their heard to cattle dealers & railroads

The Grange

Originally a social organization between farmers, it developed into a political movement for government ownership of railroads

Buffalo Soldiers

Nickname for African-American soldiers who fought in the wars against Native Americans living on the Great Plains during the 1870s

Treaty of Fort Laramie

Agreement between US and Indians to give the Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and other lands and hunting grounds in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Vigilantes

these people were often elected by the community to keep law and order and protect property

Prairie Farming

trees were rare, grass was short, it rarely rained. There was no wood, so houses made out of sod. Farmers used windmills to pump water.

Dry Farming

new methods of farming that preserved the scanty rainwater. Developed by Mormons in Utah, Land plowed deep to increase its ability to hold water.

Oklahoma Land Rush, boomers, sooners

Gov't released the land to the public, anyone could arrive, stake a claim and own the land for free.

-The Boomers are settlers who ran in land races to claim land upon the 1889 opening of Indian Territory for settlement. \n -The Sooners, were people who illegally claimed land by sneaking past the government officials before the land races began.

Ghost Dance

A ritual/religious movement in the form of a circle, was performed to bring back the buffalo and return the Native American tribes to their land.

Problems faced by farmers

post 1860 farm prices dropped due to technology, high tariffs raised price of equipment, and Railroads set high freight charges, deflation due to money supply over-production led to falling prices, high rates for freight,

Samuel Colt

This inventor patented the six-shooter pistol, which was used often during the Mexican war. He later used the concept of mass production in his factory to produce them more quickly.

Sarah Winnemucca

This Paiute Indian gave lectures on the problems of the reservations in the 1870's in her book "Life among the Paiutes, Their wrongs and claims"

William Larimer

made his first fortune in the railroad industry in Pittsburgh. He became a land speculator in the 1850s in the Kansas Territory when he heard that gold had been found at Cherry Creek, Colorado.

-did not intend to make his own fortune by digging or panning for gold but made a city near the mine field and sold the land. \n -established the city of Denver

John W. Mackay

Decided to seek fortune in California, and learned a lot about mining and bought an old mine on the Comstock Lode.

-"Big Bonanza"

John Wesley Illiff

Organized the first long drive of cattle from Texas to Wyoming

-Sold cows to butchers in the mining caps, to travelers returning East, or in need of oxen. \n -"Cattle King of Colorado"

Charles Goodnight

-Teamed up with Oliver Loving- an experienced cattle drover \n -They established the Goodnight-Loving Trail to supply meat to the army and Indian reservations \n -Agreed to deliver to Iliff's camp near Cheyenne, WY, $40,000 worth of cattle from TX

Joseph G. McCoy

A 19th-century entrepreneur famous for promoting the transport of Longhorn cattle from Texas to the eastern United States. \n -Abilene was shipping thousands of cattle east Kansas Pacific

John Chivington

arrived with 700 Colorado volunteers raised US flag as sign of peace but then open fired at Indian people which lead to the Sand Creek Massacre

Oliver H. Kelley

Considered the "Father" of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry (more commonly known as "The Grange"). a fraternal organization for American farmers that encouraged farm families to band together for their common economic and political good.