Omaha and Kansas City were huge cow towns. The Cowboy era ended rather quickly. The work that was had were quite dangerous. The long drive was needed because the south had no railroads. Open ranged died out because farmers moved and put up fences. The Homestead Act also was a cause for the death of the cowboy era. The demand for beef fell and more people got out of the beef industry. People made ranches instead. Native Americans were supposed to have controlled most of the Louisiana Purchase. The Natives would soon be continually pushed further and further west. Indian territory was now just Oklahoma. In 1907 Oklahoma became a state. Most Indian land nowadays is just small patches further west. A way we fought the Natives was by killing Buffalo. The Buffalo were almost wiped out in 50 years. Dawes Act gave Native American families to farm. Ended tribal ownership of land. Natives who agreed to the demands were given American citizenship. It was a way to get them out of poverty. All the Native American lands gained from the Dawes Act were given to White settlers. The Dawes Act was an option for the Natives. It was either that or war. This was an official policy until the 1930s. The IRA gave tribal lands back to the Natives. The Natives were mentally and culturally defeated in the 1930s. The real goal of the Dawes Act was to take Native American lands. Battle of Little Bighorn was a famous Indian battle. Little Bighorn was an Indian victory. Every one of Custer's troops died. The last Indian battle was the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890.
Rocky Mountain Locust would destroy a lot of crops. They became extinct in 1902. It hit farmers in 1870s. Natives were quite angry at the Americans because they had stolen their land. They would retaliate in random attacks on regular people. Sod was used instead of wood because wood was not widely accessible. Farmers were always in debt. Farmers thought it was a good idea to plant even more crops. Farmers during the 1800s weren't doing so well. The Grange started after the Civil War. It still exists today. It encourages the farmers by giving things to do. The first organization of farmers to fight back the railroad. Their whole purpose of the Grange was to help farmers. Farmers are extremely important. Series of Laws passed to fight back against railroad abuses. In 1877 Supreme Court supported farmers but later in 1886 the Supreme Court supported the railroads.
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