Transcript West

West
Andre S.
Madelyn F.
Introduction
• There are 8 states in the West:
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah,
Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota,
and South Dakota.
• Thousands of settlers headed west
in the 1800s to find a better life.
They were looking for open land to
start a farm and build a house.
• Montana is so large that ten states
could fit inside it. They are Maine,
Vermont, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New York, New Jersey,
Delaware, and Maryland.
People and History
• In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson chose
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the
new land in the west. They spent more than 2
years exploring the west and had help from a
Native American named Sacagawea. They brought
back maps and stories about how beautiful the
west was. The government began to kick the
natives off their land.
• The government started the Homestead Act which
stated that they would give 160 acres of land free
of charge to people who promised to live there for
five years, farmed the land, and built a house
there.
• As settlers moved in, Native Americans were
forced to leave their land and go to reservations.
But this land had poor soil for farming and few
trees.
Land in the Area
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Skiers love the powdery snow in
Utah and Nevada. Some of the
areas in the Rockies can get as
much as 30 ft. of snow per year.
Skiers need to watch for
avalanches. An avalanche is a
mass of snow that slides down a
mountain.
Winters can have major
snowstorms and summers can be
extremely hot and bring drought.
A drought is a long time with no
water.
There are stone formations in the
Arches National Park in Utah
called Windows. There is an arch
on the top with a huge open area
underneath it.
Plants and Animals
• The animals in the West are bighorn sheep,
mountain lions, moose, deer, coyotes,
pronghorns, bison, and prairie dogs.
• The plants in the West are wild flowers,
monkey flowers, forget-me-nots, black-eyed
susans, scarlet paintbrushes, thimbleberries,
buttercups, sage brush, bitter brush, rabbit
brush, bristle cone pine tree, and orange
sneezeweeds.
• The mountains are covered with pine trees,
spruce, and other evergreen trees.
• The cacti plant has a very thick stem that
can hold water for a very long time. This
helps the plants adapt to the dry conditions.
Cities and Towns
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Cities: Salt Lake City, Utah, Boise, Idaho,
Denver, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada are
the big cites in the West.
Towns: Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana
Silver City, Idaho, Old Desert Village, Utah and
Park City, Utah.
Las Vegas and the area around it are the fastest
growing population in the country. More than a
half people live in Las Vegas.
The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas is the
largest hotel in North America and the second
largest in the world. There are real lions inside
that live in a lion habitat. There is also a gate to
protect people from the lions.
2,500 athletes from about 80 countries went
to Salt Lake City, Utah from Winter Olympics in
2002.
More than 40,000 people go to the Sundance
Film in Park City, Utah. There are only about
7,300 people there year-round.
Rural Life
• Reservations don’t have to follow all state laws.
That is why gambling is allowed on reservations.
Casinos on reservations provide jobs for Native
Americans.
• On a western ranch it is a long way to stores,
schools, and neighbor’s house because of wideopen spaces.
• South Dakota farmers have to spray their crops
to kill insects that might damage the crops on
their farm.
• Some ranches in the west let people feel what it
is like to live in the west. Tourists come there to
take care of animals, milk a cow, and learn how
people in the west live.
• Everything from onions, potatoes, sunflowers,
and cherries are grown in the west. Most of the
nation’s wheat, barley, and oats are grown in
the west.
Getting Around
• In Utah you can drive almost 100 miles without seeing a town or a gas
station. A lot of times people will choose to fly between cities. If you do
drive make sure your gas tank is full.
• Railroad tracks were needed across the nation in the 1860s. The Central
Pacific Railroad built tracks from California eastward. The Union Pacific
Railroad built tracks from Nebraska westward. On May 10, 1969, the two
tracks met in Utah.
• Highways and railroads connected the west to other parts of the country.
Trucks and trains carry lumber, coal, farm products, and factory made
goods to other cities. Products are also put on boats that go from the
Columbia River to the ocean. The products are loaded onto boats that go
to forty different countries.
• In Nevada people call route 375 “Extraterrestrial Highway”. This is because
people have reported seeing UFOs there. Perhaps these sitings are of
planes taking off from Area 51. Area 51 was used by the military to test
spy planes. But the military keeps details of these missions top secret.
Work in the Area
• Wyoming had 460,000 sheep in 2002. Some
sheep are kept on ranches. Their wool is used to
make carpeting, clothing, and blankets. Others
are sold for meat.
• Factories in the West turn lumber into boxes,
paper, furniture, pencils, toothpicks, building
materials, and baseball bats.
• 11.5 billion pounds of potatoes were grown in
2005 in Idaho. Idaho grows the most potatoes
than any other state.
• More than half of Idaho’s potatoes are turned
into foods such as potato chips and frozen
French fries. Every year, Americans consume
about 130 pounds of potatoes per person.
• More than 36,000 students have graduated from
the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs,
Colorado.
• Ranchers raise cattle sold for beef. Montana’s
ranches alone have 2.7 million cattle.
Free Time
• The West is known as potatoes and meat country. A chuck wagon
cookout serves barbeque. Ohio is famous for its potatoes. Some
things that are made with potatoes are potato donuts, potato
bread, and potato pancakes.
• Kuchen is a sweet German cake topped with peaches, apples, or
other fruit. It is the official dessert of South Dakota.
• Westerners cook and eat a lot of different types of meat. They call
it game. You can find deer meat, rabbit and even rattlesnake on
restaurant menus.
• Skiing, water rafting, and rodeos are fun to do in the West. Native
American dancing is popular at festivals called Powwows.
• Two famous authors from South Dakota are Frank Baum who wrote
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Laura Ingles Wilder who wrote
Little House on the Prairie.
Conclusion
• In 2004, Yellowstone National Park was the sixth most visited
national park in the United States.
• Visiting Devil’s Tower feels like being very far away from cities. It is
very rural-like with lots of open, grassy land.
• The West has a lot of Native American traditions. The Westerners
are proud of their history and look forward to sharing it with
tourists.
• There are many national parks, rural ranches, and farms, miners,
and even a city here and there.
• The west still attracts people who want to leave the city life behind.
Works Cited
• Sally, Senzell, Isaacs. Regions of the United
States: The West: Chicago, Illinois: Raintree,
2006.