Name ________________________

Mr. Larsen Social Studies

When you think about the “Old Wild West” of the late 1800s, what images come to mind? Describe or draw your thoughts in the space below.

Cowboys were white men with with cowboy hats. They started in the Old West and they’ve been around since then.

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Click to read one of the four articles linked on the slideshow. As you investigate, find two pieces of evidence that discuss REAL cowboys of the era. Add those details to the box provided. Add in one detail that you learned from class discussion.

White settlers were in constant battle with Native Americans on the frontier.

“The Indian wars under the government of the United States have been more than 40 in number. They have cost the lives of about 19,000 white men, women and children, including those killed in individual combats, and the lives of about 30,000 Indians. The actual number of killed and wounded Indians must be very much higher than the number given ... Fifty percent additional would be a safe estimate”

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Source - The U.S. Census Bureau - 1894

Name ________________________

Mr. Larsen Social Studies

The wild west was violent! There was no one to keep law and order and there were bank robberies and shootouts all the time!

While watching the video, mark the true statements with a checkmark.

____ 1. There weren’t that many saloons in the west.

____ 2. Sometimes local ranch workers robbed travelers.

____ 3. Journalists exaggerated stories about the frontier to sell newspapers.

____ 4. Saloons has regular doors that could be locked.

____ 5. Being tied down to railroad tracks was quite rare.

____ 6. Being a sheriff in the west was actually pretty boring.

____ 7. Most towns in the west were lawless.

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Read the article linked on the slideshow. Then, answer the questions on the right.

Name ________________________

Mr. Larsen Social Studies

The stories about Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, and Buffalo Bill are all true!

This chart summarizes just a few of the acts passed by the federal government in the late 1800s. Each of these acts relate to the west in some way.

How do these acts negate myth 5?

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Click on one of the people in the slideshow to read a short article about their life. After reading the article, add three true facts about the person’s life below.

The wild west was completely free from any U.S. government intervention.

Negate means to go against

Name ________________________

Mr. Larsen Social Studies

Maps like this show the population density of the United States, but they don’t show Native American or Mexican populations in the west.

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It’s difficult to estimate, however, approximately 250,000 Native Americans lived in the west in 1890. There were about 78,000 Mexican people living in the United States in 1890.

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There were approximately 63 million people in the U.S. in total (not including those two groups.) The U.S. population had doubled within the last 30 years.

The west was wild partly because there were very few people there.