Westward Expansion Transportation

By 1849, thousands of Americans and immigrants had gold fever! Many packed up and moved in hopes of striking it rich. Gold was found in 1849 in California. By the 1860s, silver was found in Colorado, and copper in Arizona. Mining towns, such as Denver, Colorado sprang up across the West.

In an effort to settle the west the U.S. government offered free or cheap land to homesteaders. Many people participated in "land rushes" to claim land.

Cheyenne Indians encountered a group of soldiers with dark skin and curly hair and a fearless fighting spirit. The American Indians highly respected these soliders and nicknamed them "Buffalo Soldiers" after the scared buffalo.

Being a cowboy was a line of work in which many African American men found great respect and some form of equality with whites. They worked as skilled horsemen in Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri. In the early days of the old West, African Amerians were even appointed as marshals and sheriffs.