Term | Definition |
Reservations | Land owned by Native Americans which is recognized by the government |
Comstock Lode | A rich vein of silver found in Virginia Mountains of western Nevada. This quickly became a boom town which eventually dried up when the source of silver ran dry |
Pike's Peak | A mountain peak in the Rockies where gold and silver were discovered leading to gold and silver rushes |
Great Plains | A large amount of flat land that is too dry for a forest, but too wet to be considered a desert) west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States |
Wounded Knee Massacre | On December 29, 1890 a struggle over a gun led to a shot being fired, which caused the 7th Cavalry to start shooting resulting in 300 people being killed. Women, children, men, and soldiers died at Wounded Knee |
Salt Lake Valley | The valley in Utah where the Mormons first settled to practice their religion safely |
Promontory Point, Utah | The place where Union Pacific Rail Road tracks connected to the Central Pacific tracks |
Indian Wars | A term used to describe a series of conflicts occurring from the first European settlers to around the 1890's. |
Gold Rush | A period of time, when thousands of people came to California in order to search for gold |
Custer's Last Stand | An attack on Custer and US soldiers at the Little Bighorn River. The Native Americans killed Custer and the rest of the soldiers |
Battle of Little Big Horn | The battle in which the Sioux, led by Sitting Bull, defeated the U.S. Army led by General Custer |