Impact of Railroads & Settlers 1862-1876

Impact of the White Americans

The growing popularity and use of railroads, the flourishing cattle industry and gold prospectors all affected the Plains Indians' lives.

The railroads

The railroads made it easier, faster, and cheaper for Americans to move away from the East Coast. This encouraged more settlement on the Great Plains.
The railroads allowed the cattle barons to make money by transporting cattle from Texas to the North and East. The cattle industry could not have had such a big impact on Indians without the railroads.
Some buffalo were hit by trains and died. Herds of buffalo also struggled to cross the train tracks and fences. This meant they were trapped in certain regions.

The cattle industry

The rise of the cattle industry meant that there was less land available for buffalo to graze on.
Between 1880 and 1900, the number of cattle in America doubled. In 1850, there were roughly 100,000 cattle in the USA. In 2012, there were 29 million cattle.

The gold rush

In the gold rush of 1849, gold prospectors (hopefuls) travelled to California in the search for gold.
Later, gold rushes would happen every few years on Plains Indians' territory. Settlers would move onto tribe land and try to search for gold. This happened on the Arapaho tribe and the Cheyenne tribes' land in the Rocky Mountains in 1859.

1The Early Settlement of the West, c1835-c1862

1.1The Plains Indians: Beliefs & Way of Life

1.1.1The Plains Indians - Social Structure

1.1.2The Plains Indians - Way of Life

1.1.3End of Topic Test - Social & Tribal Structures

1.1.4Grade 9 - The Plains Indians

1.2Migration & Early Settlement

1.2.1The Oregon Trail & Gold Rush

1.2.2Manifest Destiny

1.2.3Major Migrations - Donner, Mormon & Farmer

1.2.4End of Topic Test - Migration and Early Settlement

1.2.5Grade 9 - The Early Settlement of the West

1.3Conflict & Tension

1.3.1Fort Laramie Treaty & Indian Appropriations Act

1.3.2Lawless Towns

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Conflict & Tension

2Development of the Plains, c.1862–c.1876

2.1The Development of Settlement in the West

2.1.1Causes of the American Civil War

2.1.2The American Civil War

2.1.3Homesteading & Railroads 1862-1876

2.1.4Continuing Law & Order Problems 1862-1876

2.1.5Ranching, Cattle & Cowboys 1862-1876

2.1.6End of Topic Test - Development of the Plains

2.2Changes in the Way of Life of the Plains Indians

2.2.1Impact of Railroads & Settlers 1862-1876

2.2.2Impact of the Peace Policy & Reservations

2.2.3The Indian Wars (1862-1868)

2.2.4End of Topic Test - Changes in the Way of Life

2.2.5Grade 9 - Development of the Plains

3Conflicts & Conquest, c.1876–c.1895

3.1Changes in Farming & Settlement

3.1.1Farming & the Cattle Industry 1876-1895

3.1.2The Exoduster Movement & Oklahoma Land Rush

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Exodusters, Land Rush & Cattle

3.2Conflict & Tension

3.2.1Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and the Range Wars

3.2.2Little Big Horn, the Ghost Dance & Wounded Knee

3.2.3Destroying the Indian Way of Life

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Conflict and Tension

3.2.5Grade 9 - Conflicts & Tension

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