The West Transformed Part I

1

The West Transformed

(1860-1896)

A California Gold Mine in 1849.

(America, History of Our Nation Textbook pages 574-595)

CVA U.S. History - Mr. Finberg (2022)

2

Many Americans were lured to the West by the chance to strike it
rich by mining gold and silver. The Western Mining boom had
begun with the California Gold Rush of 1849.

gold

1. Mining and Railroading

Boom Towns

How did mining and
railroading draw people
into the West?

2-When someone finds land that is loaded with gold.

1-In California, miners searched for new strikes of gold
and silver.
What was a strike of gold?

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Poll

In California, miners searched for new strikes of _____ & _____.

• Gold & Iron

• Gold & Silver

• Cold & Silver

• Iron & Copper

3

In 1859, two young prospectors struck gold in the
Sierra Nevada lands.

The Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode attracted
thousands of prospectorsThe Comstock Lode attracted
thousands of prospectors. Miners came across the United
States, as well as from France, Germany, Ireland,
Mexico, and China. One of every three miners was
Chinese.

3-Henry Comstock discovered a vein of gold called a lode.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

Henry Comstock discovered a vein of gold called a ____.

• Vein

• Collection

• Lode

• Mine

4

Thousands of people came West to supply the minors with
materials such as tools, food, and clothing. People opened
restaurants, boarding houses, laundries, etc.

These tents later became towns and cities. The cities of
Denver and Colorado Springs grew very quickly as a
result other miner’s discovery of gold.

4-With the boom in mining tent cities formed. A tent city
was a town of people settling in tents.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

With the boom in mining tent cities formed. A ____ city was a town of people settling in tents.

• Sad

• Poor

• Great

• Tent

5

When the gold was gone the city’s turned
into ghost towns.

5-A ghost town was an abandoned town.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Open Ended

Take a moment and GOOGLE "Ghost Town Near Me." Tell me about one (1) of the Ghost Town's nearby!

6

6

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Draw

Draw your idea of a "ghost town!"

7

To the Indians, the railroad was a terrifying
monster, an “iron horse” letting out black smoke
and moving at stunning speeds.

The Railroads

7-A railroad train was called an “iron horse.”

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

To the natives, a railroad train was called an “____ ______.”

• Iron Horse

• Iron House

• Iron Home

• Irate Horse

8

As cities grew the
Federal Government
encouraged railroad
building in the West.
During the Civil War,
Congress loaned money
to the railroad
companies.The
railroad companies built
railroads to connect the
East and the West.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

Who loaned money to the Railroad Companies?

• The President

• Congress

• You?

• Senate

9

In 1863, two companies began the race to build the
first transcontinental railroad. They were called the
Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad.

8-The Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad that
stretched across the east coast to the west coast.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Poll

Have you ever been on a train?

• Yes

• No, But I want to!

• I own one

• Never!

10

Both companies building the railroad had trouble
getting workers. Labor was scarce, backbreaking, and
dangerous. The pay was also very low. Many of the
railroad companies used immigrant workers to build the
railroad.

9-The railroad used thousands of workers from
China, Ireland, Mexico, and Africa.
Many workers were killed by snow storms and avalanches.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

The railroad used thousands of workers from several places. Which one of these ISN'T one of those places?

• China

• Ireland

• Mexico

• Russia

11

People in the country celebrated the goals achieved by the two
railroads. Before long other major railroad lines will link to
the West and East. Soon wherever rail lines went, towns and
cities spring up all along the tracks.

The Transcontinental
Railroad. The golden

spike

10-The Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad met at
Promontory Point on May 10, 1869.

11-They hammered a golden spike into the rail that joined
the two tracks.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

Multiple Choice

The Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad met at ________ ____ on May 10, 1869.

• Primary Point

• Properly Point

• Promontory Point

• Porcupine Point

34

Bad weather ended the cattle kingdom herds. The winter
of 1885 was terrible and that summer was hot and dry.

The Boom

Ends

By 1900, half a million farmers had arrived. They put up
fences in their fields with barbed wire. As more farmers
strung barbed wire, the open range began to disappear.

35-The bitter cold of the next winter killed millions of
cattle. By the spring of 1887, nine out of ten cattle
have frozen to death.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.

39

They took their name from the Bible. White Southerners did
not want to lose a cheaper labor supplied by the African
Americans. To prevent the African Americans from leaving,
whites stopped the boats carrying the African Americans up the
Mississippi.

The Homestead Act had its problems. Only about 20% of the
homestead land originally went to small farmers. Big land
owning companies took large areas of land illegally. They
divided the land and then resold it to farmer’s high price.
African Americans joined in the rush for land.
43-In 1879, a group of African Americans decided to move to
Kansas. They called themselves the Exodusters.

44-Despite the danger, between
40,000 and 70,000 African Americans
moved to Kansas in 1881.

COMMON CORE STANDARD: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS R.I.8.2,KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS. DETERMINE A CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND
ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEXT, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUPPORTING IDEAS; PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT.