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| April 2009 |
| Billie Silvey |
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| Timeline of the West |
| 1803-1806 The Lewis and Clark Expedition When Captain Meriwether Lewis was selected by Thomas Jefferson to lead the transcontinental expedition exploring the Louisiana Purchase, he studied with members of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and gathered information about his proposed route. He selected William Clark to accompany him as co-leader. Clark spent several months studying astronomy and map-making. They set out by keelboat to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, journeying up the Missouri the next spring. By October, they had reached the Mandan villages in present-day North Dakota and decided to stay with them through the winter. There they secured the services of Sacagawea, a Shoshone guide and interpreter, who “reconciles all the Indians as to our friendly intentions—a woman with a party of men is a token of peace,” as Clark wrote in his journal. Between April and August of 1805, the 33 members of the expedition traveled up the Missouri to its northern limit, where a band of Shoshone, led by Sacagawea’s brother, provided horses for the climb up the Rocky Mountains. By late September, they had crossed the Bitterroot Mountains, where they were taken in by the Nez Perce. Traveling down the Columbia River, they reached the Pacific Ocean in November, spending the winter there and returning in 1806 over roughly the same route. Upon their return, Lewis was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory, and Clark became principal Indian agent for the Louisiana Territory, then governor of the newly-formed Missouri Territory. |
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| 1830-1836 The Artist George Catlin The artist accompanied General William Clark on a diplomatic mission up the Mississippi River into Native American territory. Between 1830 and 1836, he visited 50 tribes, including the Pawnee, Omaha and Ponca in the south and the Mandan, Cheyenne, Crow, Assiniboine and Blackfeet to the north. He painted over 500 depictions of Native Americans and garnered a substantial collection of artifacts, assembling them into his Indian Gallery and delivering lectures on his recollections in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and New York. When the U.S. government refused to purchase his collection, Catlin toured with them to such European capitals as London, Brussels and Paris. The French critic Charles Boudelaire remarked on the paintings, “M. Catlin has captured the proud, free character and noble expression of these splendid fellows in a masterly way.” In 1841, Catlin published Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians in two volumes with about 300 engravings. The nearly complete surviving set of Catlin’s first Indian Gallery is now part of the Smithsonian American Art museum’s collection. |
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| 1860-1861 The Pony Express From April 1860 to October 1861, the riders of the Pony Express provided fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Messages were carried by horseback in relay across the prairies, plains, deserts and mountains of the Western United States, reducing the time for mail delivery between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. Some 190 stations were set up at intervals of about 10 miles along the 2,000-mile route. A rider would change to a fresh horse at each station, throwing the mochila, or pouch over the saddle and mounting on top of it. Each corner had a padlocked cantina or pocket to carry the mail. Riders could not weigh over 125 pounds. In addition to the mochila, they carried a water sack and a revolver, riding day and night, winter and summer. The Pony Express announced its closure on October 26, 1861, two days after the Transcontinental Telegraph reached Salt Lake City, connecting Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento. |
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| 1865-1895 Cattle Drives
The end of the American Civil War brought a great demand for meat in the northeastern United States. At that time, there were over 5 million head of Longhorn cattle in Texas. Cowboys took part in cattle drives, herding these cattle from Texas to railroad towns of Abilene, Dodge City and Wichita, Kansas. Major routes included the Chisholm and the Goodnight-Loving trails. It would take from 12-16 weeks to drive cattle along the 1,000-mile routes. Each drive would include several thousand head of cattle. The trail boss would ride ahead, scouting for water, grass and camping sites. Two cowboys rode on either side ahead of the herd. Flank riders kept the cattle in line, two or three abreast. Drag riders kept stragglers up at the rear. |
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| 1867-1894 John Wesley Powell, Geologist John Wesley Powell, soldier, geologist and explorer of the American West, was the first person to ride the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The son of an immigrant English preacher, he was loyal to the Union and the cause of abolishing slavery. In the Battle of Shiloh, he lost most of one arm. From 1867, he led a series of expeditions into the Rocky Mountains. In 1869, he explored the Grand Canyon. He started with nine men and four boats, but one man quit after the first month. Another three left at Separation Rapid, but they were later killed mysteriously. He retraced the route in 1871-72, producing photographs, an accurate map, and other documents. |
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| 1869 Transcontinental Railroad The Pacific Railroad was completed in 1869 between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Alameda, California. By linking with the existing railway network of the Eastern United States, the railroad connected Atlantic and Pacific coasts. One of the greatest American technological feats of the 19th century, the railroad opened for traffic May 10, 1869, with the driving of the "Last Spike" at Promontory Summit, Utah. It replaced most of the existing stagecoach lines and wagon trains, providing a cheaper and safer route for people and goods. Army veterans and Irish and Chinese immigrants did most of the work of building the Transconental Railroad. Much of the original right-of-way is still owned and used today by the Union Pacific. Telegraph lines were built along the railroad as it was being built, contributing to rapid communication as well as transportation. |
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| 1869 Women's Suffrage Women in the West led the nation in the struggle for voting rights. When Wyoming Territory became a state in 1869, it approved full and equal enfranchisement for women. "This Shall be the Land for Women!" journalist Caroline Nichols Churchill said when Colorado extended the vote in 1893. The West symbolized political equality and opportunity for women. In 1916, Jennette Rankin of Montana won the first woman's seat in the US House of Representatives. |
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| 1883 Buffalo Bill Cody's First Wild West Show Buffalo Bill Cody began touring with his Wild West Show, which featured a series of historical scenes interspersed with rodeo-style events, sharp shooting, and staged races in 1883. The show ran for three decades and included such stars as "Wild Bill" Hickok, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull and Geronimo. It turned the West into entertainment, paradoxically signaling its end as a reality. |
| 1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese immigration, indicating the extent of racism in the old west. Chinese had first immigrated during the gold rush of 1849, then were instrumental in building the Transcontinental Railroad. Chinese were ideal scapegoats, because their dress, hairstyles, and language set them apart. They kept to their own kind and were very industrious. The first act barred immigration for 10 years, the Geary Act of 1892 extended it for another 10 years, and the Extension Act of 1904 made it permanent. |
| 1872 Yellowstone National Park The land for Yellowstone National Park was set aside in 1872 to form the first national park. The 3,468-square mile park is located primarily in Wyoming but extends into montana and Idaho. It is known for its wildlife and geothermal features. Organized exploration did not begin until the late 1800s. More than 1,000 archeological sites have been explored within the park. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over Yellowstone Caldera, the largest active volcano on the continent. |