Western Expansion Important People

Lewis and Clark

These people set out on a famous expedition in 1804. They explored West of the Mississippi River.

Jesse James

This man was an outlaw who had a brother. These brothers were train robbers who only robbed people who said they were from the North. People loved this man because he was a symbol of the Confederation.

Robert Ford

This man killed the famous Jesse James, but then got shot by Jesse’s friends. His nickname is “The Coward”

Wyatt Earp

This man was a sheriff who took care of robbers and gangsters. He fought at O.K. Corral with “The Cowboys”. The Cowboys were gangsters and were mad because he had an affair with one of their girlfriends. He won this shoot out.

Billy the Kid

This boy was an orphan who could speak English and Spanish. He was also an outlaw. He worked for John Tunstall, but then he died, so this boy ran off only to be found and shot dead.

Lawrence Murphy

This was a “bad guy” who owned the biggest cattle ranch in New Mexico who made a lot of money. The “Murphy Men” fought John Tunstall’s “Regulators”

John Tunstall

A cattle rancher who hired orphan boys to work for him in exchange for housing, money, and education. These boys were called the “Regulators”. Captured Billy the Kid after he tried stealing from him and made him work for him. Billy considered him “dad”. This man was then shot dead at the “The Lincoln Country War”.