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U.S. Expansion into the West

 

            The west went through a lot of economical changes throughout half a century that left many impacts in our lives today. There were many people and events that changed the west but three main ideas that I"d like to mention which influenced the West's development are miners, cattlemen and farmers. All three of these social groups left an impact on the land and the development of the western region. From the 1850's to 1900, these three groups were vital to the western region. .
             The west gave new opportunities to settlers and Native Americans as well new land for living and animals for food and other valuable items. In 1858, committed miners traveled west, onto the Rockies, when they heard that gold had been discovered. Other groups, such as the "Fifty-niners" spread into Nevada, where they mined gold and silver which was worth almost 350 million dollars. Big ore-breaking machinery was brought over to crush the gold-bearing quartz. This procedure was very expensive and was often only performed by wealthy corporations. As technology advanced over the years, miners took over these heavy roles once played by corporations. These miners and their job played important roles in the development of the west. Gold that was in the mountains in the west attracted a great population and with this population, came wealth. The west publicized new living and working opportunities for both the males and females. The women found new rights in the new lands, gaining suffrage in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. The west also provided them with more of an equality than they would have gotten on the east coast. Mining the gold also helped with the new means of transportation, such as the railroad and it also helped fund the Civil War.
             The west, abundant with cattle, brought a lot of working opportunities for cattlemen. They were able to create a big business for the west which was cattle raising. Since railroads were introduced to the west, it was a lot easier for the cattlemen to transport their cattle from one place to another.


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