Railroads and Life in the West

Front

Government subsidies for railroads in the late 1800s

Back

Helped with high construction costs and benefited the public.

Front

Life in a boomtown

Back

Lively, lawless, dangerous, violent, and chaotic.

Front

Mining in the West and railroads

Back

Railroads helped miners move their resources across the country faster.

Front

Acres dedicated to building the railroad

Back

130 million acres.

Front

Meeting point of the transcontinental railroad tracks

Back

Promontory Summit, Utah territory.

Front

Wild cattle became known as

Back

Longhorns.

Front

Cost of a longhorn in Texas vs in the Northeast

Back

In Texas $3.50 each vs $40 each in the Northeast.

Front

Duration of long drives

Back

2 to 3 months.

Front

Skills used by cowhands

Back

Riding, roping, and branding.

Front

Women who could claim land in the Great Plains

Back

Single or widowed women.