mine, cattle, farm out west
Mining, cattle raising, and farming are the three key movements that allowed Americans to conquer and settle the land in the West. Mining, and the lure of instant wealth from finding gold, made people flock to the West seeking over-night riches. Cattle raising created local food supply, alternative jobs for failed miners, and reasons for extending the railroads out West (to transport the cattle). Farming set up a constant food source (as opposed to the fluctuating amounts of cattle), and homesteads in the West, thus forming the first permanent communities. These three factors developed the once vast and open territories of the West into townships and even further, into true states. Mining, cattle raising, and farming molded our Western front. The most important step in claiming and settling land is occupying it. Mining was the perfect bait to real in Easterners. Rumors about newfound gold such as Pike's Peak and the Comstock Lode, whether true or not, gathered crowds by the hundreds all trying to get their piece of the pie. Gold mining gave hope to failed business men, freed blacks, young men, veterans from the Civil War, and others alike th
Wild herds of cattle roamed freely on this land, and so did the cowboy. Men, or "cowboys" as we refer to them today, began herding the wild cattle and transporting them to the East by train. The cowboys did not have to feed, raise, or protect the cattle. All they had to do was find and push the herds to railroad terminals. Sometimes, however, this required tedious days of herding anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 cattle on lengthy trips across the plains. This became known as the Long Drive. The cattle trade gave the railroads significance and meaning to extend fully out West; an important step in not only settling the West, but unifying it with the East. Cattle provided a food source, alternative jobs to mining, and made the cowboys presence well known for the West (helpful in taking over Indian territories). Slowly, the land was over-grazed, sheepherders and settlers took over more and more land, and the cowboys' readily available herds diminished. The railroads were becoming more popularized and cattle transportation was no longer necessary to its survival. But now that the land was eaten over and the major food source of the West was fading a
Some common words found in the essay are:
Homestead Act, Civil War, West Mining, East Cattle, East People, Comstock Lode, West East, , Hollywood Boulevard, Easterners Rumors, cattle raising, food source, mining cattle raising, created local, alternative jobs, permanent communities, settling land, raising farming, step settling, cattle raising farming, mining cattle,
Approximate Word count = 774
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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