Exam Question on importance of Railroads Flashcards
A town that grew on the railroad?
Denver
What was the length of the transcontinental railroad in 1869?
over 2000 km
What was the length of the transcontinental railroad in 1900s?
139,000 km
How many Chinese immigrants worked on the railroad?
90%
How many immigrant workers died on the transcontinental railroad?
12,000
How long had americans been calling for Railroad access?
1817
Impacts of Railroads on settlement?
Railroad companies sold plots of land to settlers. 200 million acres by 1900
Impact of railroad on the cattle industry?
Texas cattlemen began to drive their cattle to ‘cow towns’. Abilene was an example. Could transport cattle from Chicago to Illinois
Growth of California’s population?
15,000 - 300,000 in 1848 - 1855
Example of a mining town
Virginia City
Example of abandoned mining towns in Colorado?
- Cripple Creek
- Ashcroft
What did most miners become when they failed to find gold?
- Farmers
- Shopkeepers
- Bartenders
- Tradesmen
Examples of crimes in California Gold rush?
‘claim jumping’
What percentage of claims were homesteaded?
26%
How much of failed land from the homesteaders act was given to Railroad companies?
300 million acres
Who could not take part in the homesteader’s act?
women, ex-slaves, indians
Abilene?
Joseph McCoy set up in 1867
How many rail carts was there space for in Abilene?
100
Example of a Range War?
Johnson County War 1892
When were severe droughts, damaging homesteads?
1870s and 1880s
How many homesteads were repossessed due to drought?
11,000
How long did it usually take to travel the California trail?
8 - 9 months
Marcus Whitman
Missionary
1836
When was the Great Immigration?
1840 –> led by Marcus Whitman
