Railroads and Ranches

The Plains thrown open

After the Civil War, white Americans opened and exploited the Plains at astonishing speed. Two forces drove it above all: the railroad and the cattle industry. ⭐ The railroad made the Plains pay, and cattle ranching boomed upon them. ⚠️ Explain the causes and nature, and note the cost. This rapid exploitation came at the expense of the Plains Native peoples, whose land and buffalo it overran, as the next modules examine.

The railroad, and the cattle industry

Two engines opened the Plains. Hold them together.

Order how the Plains were opened

Put the way the railroad and cattle opened the Plains into order.

• The transcontinental railroad is built across the Plains
• It brings settlers west and links the Plains to eastern markets
• Cattle ranching spreads on the open range
• Cowboys drive huge herds to the railroad at cow towns
• The cattle are shipped east and the Plains become a booming frontier

Why the railroad was so important

Why was the railroad so important to opening the Plains?

• It brought settlers west and carried cattle and crops to eastern markets, making the Plains economically valuable and drawing rapid settlement
• It was built mainly as a line of defence
• It was built only to carry holidaymakers
• It had little effect on the Plains

Words for the cattle frontier

Five words that let you explain how the Plains were opened, rather than just describe it.

Spot what opened the Plains

Three of these opened the Plains to white exploitation. Choose the three.

• The transcontinental railroad
• Open-range cattle ranching
• Cow towns where the drives met the railroad
• The buffalo being carefully protected
• The Plains being left to the Native peoples

Why it happened, and at whose cost

The sharpest answers explain the causes and nature of the exploitation, and are honest about its cost. After the war, spare men, capital and government land grants fed a rush to exploit the Plains. The railroad was the key, carrying settlers out and cattle and crops back to market, so the Plains paid; the cattle industry boomed on the open range, with long drives to the cow towns. But this came at the expense of the Plains Native peoples, whose land was taken and whose buffalo were destroyed, examined in the next modules. Linking the boom to its cost is the grade 9 move.

Match each part of the cattle frontier to what it was

Find the sentence that explains and weighs

A student writes about the opening of the Plains. Select the ONE sentence that explains the cause AND notes the cost.

• The railroad and the cattle industry opened the Plains to a booming white economy, but they did so at the expense of the Native peoples whose land and buffalo they overran.
• The Plains were empty land that belonged to no one.
• The railroad had no effect on the Plains.
• The opening of the Plains harmed no one at all.

A worked example: the new rail link

Imagine a remote region suddenly given a new rail link to the big cities. Almost overnight, people and goods can flow in and out. Businesses rush in, new towns spring up along the line, and the whole area booms because it is now connected to distant markets. Hold that idea for the engine of a boom. A transport link that connects a remote place to faraway markets can transform it with astonishing speed.

Complete the account of the cattle frontier

The line built across the continent was the _____. The unfenced grassland where cattle grazed was the _____. Driving huge herds to the railroad was a _____. The worker who drove them was a _____. A town that boomed where the drives met the line was a _____.

Judge the opening of the Plains

Which is the soundest understanding of how the Plains were opened?

• White Americans exploited the Plains rapidly through the railroad and the cattle industry, drawn by post-war resources and land, at the expense of the Plains Native peoples
• They simply filled empty land that belonged to no one
• The Plains were opened slowly and had no railroad
• It harmed no one

What opened the Plains, and its cost

The strongest answers hold both together rather than telling only the story of the boom.

Judge the opening like an examiner

You are marking three claims about the opening of the Plains. For each, choose the soundest judgement.

• An essay says the railroad played little part. Is that safe?
• An essay says the Plains were empty land waiting to be used. Is that safe?
• An essay says the opening of the Plains harmed no one. Is that safe?

Write: how the Plains were opened

How and why did white Americans open and exploit the Plains? Explain the railroad and the cattle industry, note the cost, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.

• Explain the role of the transcontinental railroad
• Explain the open-range cattle industry and the drives
• Explain the cow towns and the boom
• Be honest about the cost to Native peoples
• Reach a supported judgement on how the Plains were opened