Today we finished Nelson's powerpoint. By 1932 two thirds of the land that the Native Americans used was taken by the U.S. government. When most of the buffalo were killed it really hurt the Indians, in 90 years 65 million buffalo were killed. When more land was acuried by the settlers cattle became a big profitable business. The "Long Drive" was moving cattle from the south to the north. A cowboy usually had about 250 to 300 cows to watch over. When overgrazing continued barbwire was invented. Most people had small herds that yeilded mroe beef. The life of a cowboy was hardwork but also very adventurous.Austin also started his powerpoint. His chapter was Settling the Great Plains.The Great Plains were really wide open and grassy, the american's nicknamed it The Great American Dessert. The first settlement was Jamestown. No one really came until the railroads. The U.S gave land grants to railroad companies before anyone else. The Homestead Act was supposed to give anyone in the states the right for an application to get 160 free acres of land in the west. Alost of people from the Rocky Mountains figured out how to scam the system. This act officialy ended in 1884 so a more strict act would happen. In 1870 Henry Washburn surveyed the North West porportion of Wyoming.
Comments