1830

- Mormons founded.
1. Joseph Smith convince that an angel came and gave him the Book of Mormons
a. Didn’t support slavery.
b. Killed eventually because supported polygamy.

1835

- Mountain men create the Oregon Trail

1. Wagon trains (20+ wagons) gathered for the trip which eight to nine months.
2. Problems with crossing the Great Plains
a. Sandstorms and quicksand
b. Extreme heat and storms
c. Stampeding buffaloes and disease
d. Hostile Plains Indians and lack of supplies

1837

- Economic Depression/Banking Crisis

1. Pull factor for moving west.
a. Space and fertile land
b. Oregon Trail
c. Gold
d. Freedom and Independence
2. Push factor for moving west.
a. Overcrowding
b. Wages cut 40%
c. High unemployment
3. Blamed Mormons in Kirtland
a. Migrated like everywhere because lots of persecution due to jealousy of
being ‘gentiles’ and not ‘chosen ones’ – everyone thought they were
sabotagers.
b. Accused of ‘blasphemy’ and practice of polygamy

1839

- Nauvoo founded.
1. Largest city in the state with population of 35,00
2. No alcohol or smoking, everyone promised salvation.
3. Really prosperous city with no poverty, self-governed
4. Gentiles scared of the 4000 Danites – self isolate.

1842

- Pre-emption Bill
1. Allowed land to be bought for very cheap in Oregon which encouraged many
migrants to travel and settle there.
2. Increased white American population of the area therefore securing it from
Canada.
1843

- The Great Migration

- Fort Bridger established.
1. Fort Bridger was like a rest/service station.
a. Allowed wagons to resupply.
b. Helped information spread east.
c. Acted as a guide on how to pass the Rocky Mountains.
2. Jim Bridger was a famous mountain man who established Fort Bridger
a. Was a fur trapper, elk, beaver skins – learnt from Plains Indians.
b. Fur hats were fashionable in 1840s.

1846

- The Donner Party head West - eventually found in January 1947

1. Poor planning – started out with 60 wagons and 300 people.
a. Donner Party group had trusted in a ‘short cut’ written in a pamphlet.
b. Ran out of food.
c. Donner Party had many older and young people.
2. The Oregon Trail was a dangerous journey from east to west through mountains
and the Great Plains.
3. The Donner Party’s attempt at migration ended in many of the group dying and
others resorting to cannibalism.

- The Mormons head West and settle in Great Salt Lake

1. GSLAV is isolated which is good as less persecution.
2. Young’s careful planning prepared the way for the next wagon train of 1500
Mormons. Between 1847 and 1869, 70 000 Mormons followed the ‘Mormon
Trail’ to the Salt Lake Valley.
a. Young pre-planned and researched a route.
b. Young ensured there was enough food for a year.
c. Young’s advance group of 150 was specially chosen with the skills to pick
out the best route, improve the trail and mark out water sources and
grass for the animals.

1848

- US victory in the Mexican American War

1. USA gained new territories in the West which led to the Indian Territory being
sandwiched in the middle of the USA.

1849

- Gold is discovered in California (1849 = Gold Rush)

1. 100,000 ‘49’ers migrated to Sierra Nevada– pros.
a. A famine in China led to 20 000 Chinese people migrating to California in
1852 therefore attracting people from all over the world.
b. Money from the gold rush helped build the railroads.
c. Manifest Destiny is the belief that White Americans destiny of owning
and conquering all the US land and ‘civilise’ Plains Indians
2. Caused tension – cons.
 a. Created problems of law and order in mining towns like racism, theft,
murder, and rape
b. Increased traffic across Indian territory.
c. California population reached 300,000 by 1855.
d. Most people did not find gold.

1858

- Gold mines opened in Colorado and Nevada/Gold discovered in Rocky Mountains

1. Strong pull factor – Increased settlement

1861-65
- American Civil War
1. Caused increased supply of cattle on the open range in Texas.
2. Ex-soldiers were encouraged to settle on the Great Plains as homesteaders.
3. Some ex-soldiers turned to crime e.g., Jesse James
4. Caused Exoduster movement in 1879.

1862
- The Homestead Act
1. 160 acres would be given to farmers for a small fee if they farmed it for 5 years.
- Homesteaders adapt.
1. Low rainfall is solved by windmills that pumped water from underground.
2. High temperatures were solved by using crop varieties e.g., red turkey wheat.
3. Tough ground solved by ‘sodbuster’ plough.
4. Lack of wood solved by making earth bricks and therefore ‘sod-houses’.
5. Crops eaten by animals solved by barbed wire.

1864

- Pacific Railway Act & work on Transcontinental railway begins.

1. Law encouraged the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroad to make a
Transcontinental Railroad, these companies owned the land on either side of the
tracks.
2. Consequences
a. Increased migration west and settlement on the Great Plains by offering
cheap land on either side of the Railroad.
i. Increased tension with the Plains Indians as frequent trespassing
b. Helped Cattle Industry to develop as Abilene supplied beef in
refrigerated carriages.
c. Helped homesteaders settle and develop.
d. Increased lawlessness like the Jesse James train robbery gang

1865

- Slavery abolished in America.

1866

- Goodnight and Loving trail created to Colorado to provide beef to miners

1867

- Abilene becomes the first cow town.

1. Joseph McCoy creates a trail from Texas to Abilene, supplied to Chicago and east
using the railroad.
2.
- Law and Order

1868

- The ‘Winter Campaign’

1869

- First Transcontinental railway completed.

1879

- Cattle ranching begins – leads to the ‘Open Range’.

1873

- Timber Culture Act

1874

- Barbed wire begins to be mass produced.

- Wind powered water pump introduced.

1879

- Exoduster Movement
1. Black Americans migrate west to Kansas to escape discrimination
1885

- All Plains Indians are resettled on to reservations.

1886-7
- Harsh winter ends the ‘Open Range’.

1887
- Dawes Act

1890

- The US government closes frontier.