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by hunters At first, railroad companies encouraged killing of buffalo as a sport in hunting trips. Railroads made it easier for professional hunters to get to the Plains, kill buffalo and then transport the hides and meat back to the cities via the railway. Huge piles of buffalo bones were gathered alongside the track and then shipped to factories to make glue. Buffalo reduced from 30 million in 1860 to just 100 by 1890. Plains Indians resisted the development of the railroads because the railroads required buffalo to be cleared from the land. Areas without buffalo made for easier railroad building. Without their main food source, Plains Indians needed to learn to farm, and to assimilate. 4) Example of Plains Indian co-operation: The route of the Union Pacific Railroad went through Pawnee lands. The Pawnee were friendly to the US government because they needed its support against enemy northern Plains Indian tribes. In 1870, the Pawnee agreed to move to a reservation in Indian territory. 5) Example of conflict when Plains Indians did not co-operate: The route of the Northern Pacific Railroad ran through Dakota, Montana and Washington territories where tens of thousands of Plains Indians still lived traditional lives that depended on buffalo hunting. Construction of the railroads began in 1970 and was given 40 million acres of land grants to sell to settlers. This railroad triggered conflicts that grew into the Great Sioux War 6) Plains Indians attacked railroad workers, causing conflict with the US army Indians feared the "Iron Horse" would end their nomadic way of life by scaring away buffalo and bringing in thousands of settlers Indians derailed trains and attacked surveying teams Rail companies asked the government to send the army to deal with the Indian threat to railway surveying teams. The army waged a more ruthless 'total war' on the Indian tribes 7) Plum Creek Massacre August 1867 = supply chain heading West, 4 miles out from Plum Creek The train was derailed by the Cheyenne, causing a fire Grenville Dodge arrived to find that: 5 line men had been shot and scalped 7 railway men had been killed Dodge declared it as a war, disgusted by the traditional Indian treatment of the dead (e.g. scalping) He used the power of the railroad to fight back and ordered workers to carry guns at all times General Sherman dispatched by government. He discussed total extermination of men, women and children. Cheyenne ambushers were taken prisoner Impact on trade and industry 1) USA railway network was soon bigger than all Europe combined 1850 = 200,000km of railroads in the USA 1890 = 324,000km, mostly in the West 2) Opened up trade Railroads provided access via rail to markets for homesteaders to sell their food e.g. Eastern USA and Europe Enabled transport of items for easier everyday living on the Plains e.g. stoves, furniture, pots, pans and boots Impact on the cattle industry 1) Cow towns were developed Stimulated cattle drives from Texas to sell to railroad builders at railheads (point which the builders had reached) and to merchants from the Eastern USA. Cow towns developed by ranchers and cattle entrepreneurs for selling cattle e.g. McCoy at Abilene. Arrival of cowboys in cow towns attracted businesses e.g. saloons, gambling halls, tailors, prostitutes. 2) Refrigerated railcars developed Refrigerated railcar developed by Gustavus Swift to ship slaughtered beef to Chicago. Made cattle ranching viable on the Plains as meat could be sent by rail to markets in the East Impact on settlers 1) Railroads led to an influx of settlers They fenced off the land and built towns, homesteads and ranches. This ended the says of the open prairie. Indians resented and attacked settlers. 2) Quicker, safer routes West for settlers compared to the risks of Wagon Trails 1882 1 million travelled West by rail The 6-month wagon journey West was reduced to 7 days, without the risks and dangers of wagon journey 3) Railway companies distributed propaganda Each railroad company had a Bureau of Immigration which spread propaganda to encourage people from Europe to settle on the Plains. They offered cheap land for farming to them and exaggerated the benefits of farming on the Plains 1880 = railroad companies had settled 200 million acres in the West. This was people leaving over-populated Europe e.g. Germany, Sweden, England or fleeing persecution e.g. the Amish in Russia 4) All areas became accessible to settle Created a network of railroads criss-crossing the Plains 1893 = 6 railroad companies connecting the Mississippi-Missouri with the Pacific Coast, owning 155 million acres of land Encouraged millions of families to settle in the West Impact on Urbanisation 1) Communication improved United the USA from East to West 2000 miles of wilderness opened up and electric telegraph installed 2) Boom towns developed Boom towns built up around railway stations with cattle markets, e.g. Abilene and Dodge City Later, permanent towns dotted along the railways as supply depots and trading centres e.g. Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles flourished Impact on Law and Order 1) Short term: wild west chaos in boom towns More railroad builders in the East dying from shoot outs than from accidents or Indians Grenville Dodge (a civil war hero) kept law and order via vigilantes (groups who took law and order into their own hands) Jack Casement (Dodge's enforcer) was furious that 4 workers died in shoot outs for every 1 in an accident He took 200 vigilantes to enforce law and order amongst the railroad workers 2) Long term: easier to send law officials to the West from the government in the East Brought all Americans under federal law Ended the 'Wild West'