Comstock Lode and the Wild West

• The 1859 discovery of silver ore in Nevada that sparked a mining boom was called the Comstock Lode.
• Placer mining is a method of extracting minerals by sifting through river sediments using simple tools.
• Quartz mining refers to the process of extracting deep underground minerals, requiring heavy machinery and corporate investment.
• Vigilance committees were self-appointed groups that enforced the law in mining towns when official law enforcement was absent

Open Range and Cattle Drives

• The vast open grasslands where cattle could roam freely before barbed wire fencing was called the open range.
• Long drives were long journeys that cowboys took to move cattle from Texas to railroad hubs.
• The Chisholm Trail denotes the famous cattle trail from Texas to Abilene, Kansas.
• Mavericks are stray calves that have no identifying brand
• Barbed wire ended the open range by allowing settlers to fence their land cheaply.

Farming and the Great Plains

• The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 acres of free land to settlers who farmed it for five years.
• Sodbusters was the nickname for settlers who plowed the tough soil of the Great Plains.
• Dry farming: a farming technique involving planting seeds deep underground to reach moisture.
• The Wheat Belt marks the region of the Great Plains which became a major agricultural center due to wheat farming.
• Bonanza farms were large, highly mechanized farms that operated like businesses and produced massive wheat harvests.

Native American Conflict and Assimilation

• The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual plots.
• The Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 saw the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne defeat General Custer and his men.
• The Wounded Knee Massacre was a tragic 1890 event where U.S. troops killed over 200 Lakota men, women, and children.
• The Ghost Dance was a religious movement among Native Americans that aimed to restore their traditional way of life and bring back the buffalo.
• Sitting Bull was a Sioux leader who resisted U.S. government policies and was killed by Indian police in 1890.

Land Rush and Western Expansion

• The Oklahoma Land Rush was an 1889 event where thousands of settlers rushed to claim land in Oklahoma.
• The Comstock Lode's significance stems from the fact that it was one of the richest silver deposits in U.S. history, leading to a major mining boom in Nevada.
• Barbed wire was important in the West because it allowed farmers and ranchers to enclose their land, ending the open range system and reducing cattle drives.
• Homesteaders on the Great Plains faced challenges like harsh weather, droughts, prairie fires, grasshopper plagues, and limited building materials.
• The Dawes Act attempted to assimilate Native American communities by breaking up reservations into individual land plots, but it resulted in the loss of tribal land and culture.
• The conflict at the Battle of the Little Bighorn was driven by the U.S. government trying to force the Lakota Sioux onto reservations after gold was discovered in the Black Hills.
• The Ghost Dance sought to bring back the buffalo and restore Native American lands while removing white settlers.
• Overgrazing, severe winters, barbed wire fencing, and falling beef prices caused the cattle industry to decline in the late 1800s.
• The Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion by providing free land to settlers willing to farm it for five years, attracting thousands of people to the Great Plains.
• The Oklahoma Land Rush opened up previously restricted Native American lands to settlers, leading to rapid population growth.
• Railroads facilitated the settlement of the West through easy transportation for settlers, connected markets, and facilitated cattle drives and agricultural trade.