The Wild West

THE WILD WEST5 M’s

MONEY – CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH California Gold Rush

of 1849 Miners Population

explodes/boomtowns

Wild/violent Few actually strike it

rich

MOUNTAIN MEN Fur/beaver pelts Toughest and

most colorful men in the West

Rendevouz When fur lost its

popularity, many became guides

MIGRATION Oregon Trail/Santa Fe

Trail In search of land Wagon Trains 4-6 months, $500-1000 Families Long , difficult, disease 2,000 miles (15 a day) Trails lined with graves

MORMON PIONEERS Seeking religious

freedom Joseph Smith – Book

of Mormon Tight knit community:

persecuted Brigham Young Mormon Trail – best

organized of all the treks

MEXICAN WAR Texas becomes its own

country for 20 years– admitted as state

What is the border? Rio Grande River or Nueces River

Pres. Sends in troops Mexico attacks War U.S. military dominates Treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo: created boundaries of modern America. (Rio Grande)