Concise Summary of Old West Events and Policies

  • Old West Events

    • Chivington Massacre (Sand Creek Massacre)
    • Sioux War causes
    • Homestead Act: encouraged westward expansion
    • Dawes Severalty Act: aimed at assimilating Native Americans
    • Decline of Plains Indians due to policy changes

  • Indian Relations

    • Comparison of Old Indian Policy vs. New Policy
    • Peace Commission efforts
    • Little Bighorn battle
    • Chief Joseph & Nez Perce resistance

  • Buffalo and Resources

    • Destruction of the buffalo: impact on Native Americans
    • Timber Culture Act and Timber and Stone Act: land policy changes
    • "A Century of Dishonor" by Helen Hunt Jackson: critique of U.S. government policy

  • Major Incidents

    • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)
    • Geronimo's resistance

  • Frontier Life

    • Open Range: decline and evolution of Indian policy
    • Turner Thesis by Frederick Jackson Turner: impact of the frontier on American character
    • Boom Towns and Mining Frontier, e.g., Comstock Lode

  • Cattle Industry

    • Cattle Frontier: ranching, trails, and Longhorn Steer
    • Railroads' role in cattle transportation
    • The Long Drive: cattle herding to markets
    • Cow Town development
    • The Grange: farmers' organization for agricultural interests

  • Military and Social Issues

    • Buffalo Soldiers: African American soldiers in the West
    • Treaty of Fort Laramie: agreements between U.S. and Native tribes
    • Role of vigilantes in frontier justice

  • Agricultural Practices

    • Prairie and dry farming techniques
    • Oklahoma Land Rush: boomers vs. sooners
    • Ghost Dance: spiritual revival movement among Native Americans

  • Challenges & Figures

    • Problems faced by farmers, including drought and debt
    • Notable figures:
    • Samuel Colt: revolver inventor
    • Sarah Winnemucca: Native American activist
    • William Larimer: early settler and developer
    • John W. Mackay: mining magnate
    • John Wesley Illiff: cattle rancher
    • Charles Goodnight: rancher and trail driver
    • Joseph G. McCoy: cattle shipping innovator
    • John Chivington: military officer linked to Sand Creek Massacre
    • Oliver H. Kelley: Grange co-founder