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<br />n J' ") '3
<br />
<br />gralHlg uf !i\'~SIO\:J... in mudl the SJIJU." frlJnH<."r J~ .Iia.
<br />dune JUring the ]ate 1'\\00\. \:0 beuer e.:ullulIli.: U'iC Ius
<br />beel1 found f\lf this bl1d.
<br />Thl" period of IllJjUI lallroild .:omtrudillll wllhillttw
<br />bilsin 'l.:.:urred b\:lweerl 1"6~ and Is:-\5 or 1I\1l~1
<br />signifkan.:e was Ihe IJ/lkll1g 111' the West Jtld thl' ra~l by
<br />the Kan"-ls P;J.;ilk. Ih.. Burlmgtun. ;Jnd the l'nion P;Jdfi,'
<br />raHmads ;JJ1J lhe l'ro~~lI1g uf Ihe northern pllrlillJ1 of lhe
<br />b;Jsin by the {;real \:tJrlhern ;Jnd \mlherrl I'J.:,fi. hIll'S.
<br />Th<." fallro;lIh IIL'uled Ihe roles ul lhe t"ast.:rn g:.ttt"way
<br />l'ilies tll th."lr dUlIlirlJn.:e n\'~r Ihl.' l.:OHmll"ll.:e nf the
<br />baSin, Tll the .:ltle~ alreJdy [i,!l.'d were added \Imne.
<br />apolis MId Sllllll'whill ]al('l. SIOUX Ci!y.Plimalily b\'l.:;Jus..'
<br />uf the east.west na!ule uf the l1Jallllml."s \If lhe railroad,.
<br />the ma)"r ('';llrllllllh: regl\lJ1S tellJ to he a ~eril.'s "f
<br />l'ast-we,t s!rip' a.:rn" !l1<." haslIl ea.:h with J g;Jtl'Wa~' .:It}
<br />at itseJStl.'rll <."Jge.
<br />\1;JJl~ "I tIll.' raLlI\)ad, were Ill(" le':lplenh 11llarj:le
<br />pub Ii..: lanJ glaub. It was. Ihl.'ldutt", ess..:nllJI I'll thl'
<br />railwild~ tll p',pul;lle Ihe area. Tllell IUelaturl.' ;Jnd
<br />aJ\lerlrsellleJlts were pnnh.d III many Jangll;Jges ;JnJ
<br />Ji,tribut.'d lIver the Ea.lern Stal.'s and [Ulllpl' Agenl.'ies
<br />were eSlabhsllt'd in I.urllp,. and 1Il the Eastelfl Slates.
<br />and their r.'p/eSl.'lIIatl\"e. ':;lrrJt'd 011 p[tJl'ag~lldil wh.'rt'H'1
<br />th... field St'erlleJ ripe.
<br />Th... .:omiJ1!! of tIll' failwaJs al,m1' wllh th.' lIl\enliull
<br />uf barbed WHI.'. th... IllJ~, pfndudlon 'II wllldmills. the
<br />inlll)\'ati"11 of thl" S"J houSt'" ;JJ1d tll<.' ;/c'i."erlaIK... uf lh..
<br />stl'd 1'1,,\\ ~nd drill "pt'lwd Ihe wa~ for the ph~ ~l':al
<br />'l<:o.:upatj"l1 III the plains. B~ 1l'i<lO. the l'r"lItlt'r was
<br />o.:ollsIJ"'r.'J ..-lo~'d, anJ withlll ;Jf1<)th...r ..:"0 }".'als mudl ,J!
<br />thc bJ;,IJl J..:hl.'\<"d ib hlghcsl St:tllt'l1l"'lIt Jeflslly. It t'HIIs
<br />almoS! two t'cnlllll..... to \1,.,ttle lh... Jrea t'ast "f tho.' t;'...al
<br />Plains. hut les.. lllall .~() y,.afs 10 clust' the frontlt'r withIn
<br />tlwha,[tl,
<br />With Ihe mllu, "f the farnwr thcrt' dl'\doPl'd J
<br />.:011"....1 b.'twc..:n him and tht' ,'Jtlil'IIlJn for tll,. plain;, III
<br />the baslIl. Oil the (lIll' hand WJS the ..'alllelTlan's s,I.'lJl
<br />;J1ll1 ....:'-'1101111..- wa~ .Jf life wludl had J...l'!OPl'J LHgel~
<br />upon till.' pLllm thl'Jlh...lv.::s. hUI wllhollt .:itie- Jtld
<br />flHll1aJ II1StltUtLllllS. JllJ wll1101It r11u.:h fornul ':Ivil
<br />gowrIll11eJlt III support il. The ':Jllleman reli,'J marnl~
<br />upon his l'\\n de.'i.:",s 10 sui\'<." lu. pwhlellls, Wh.:n Ihis
<br />faile!.!. his re,:ollrse w~s to oth~r rJn.:hers !hruu!!h ~
<br />stIJ.:"rnall'SaS\{I.:1atr,lIltHsllnilalorgJl1i/Jlilln.
<br />011 th," uther hJnd. the farm,'1 1.'1II.'leJ Ihe plarns with
<br />lhe so.:iJI and e.:onOJlU": institutions whkh had
<br />Jewlopl.'d 111 thl' !wo l'enllUles oj ph>1le.:rll1g In 111l'
<br />humid and furested b,!. The ,,<'tll...r ftl1m the Lht had
<br />tht. lradl!IOIlS Jnd support of Ihe .:i11L's. l1Istilulilllb. and
<br />,'en1fill gowrllll1cnl.!t WJsll1t'\'itilble that Ihl"lall.'rw'lIl
<br />th.' ,'lIllt."1. lh,' 'l!lmfi.:al1t fa..:tlH is that b~ willning, the
<br />s.:lIll'" 110m the humid Jrea.. ItlIp,Is..'d sO':lal and
<br />e":llrlumk .:ondi'iotls up\ln the plJin~ whkh Wl'fe I/<)(
<br />wdl ,lilled tll th~ir Cll\lIonment. \ !,!reJt deJI "fhuman
<br />tl11....f~ ;Jud ullwi,e laud u~e "a, the result.
<br />
<br />With Ihe inllu, of the tJlm<.'t in!o the plJillS. (h~
<br />regionJli'll1 of the \Vest h"<':Jllle Jppar~IH in lIatiuUJI
<br />puliti.:s. This bl"o;" has nOlt always been uflIfl<"l.L but II
<br />has been ;Jole to e1fedlvely lIJdl" lIs support to other
<br />pollti.-al bl,l..:k. lor their support 111 SUdl thing~ J.~ th~'
<br />I11lllta!!e of silve!. rl'dill1lali,lll. and LHtll lJnpnWement
<br />pf"gramsror th..: pJ.Hlh.
<br />..\I'lIfg wllll J sen"", .,1' regi"IlJlislll, the >elll':llIellt of
<br />lite plams al!A1 1',.ldun'd M.nw of Ille rJlh..., basi.:
<br />politl.'JI phtl,l>,ophy Illund III till" b;hHL Therl' hJS long
<br />b'.l'll a f.'eling within tIle baslfl Ihal the tnJrvlduill should
<br />he ablc to ..:ontrul hi, destiny III J lalgt" e\h:'nl withuUI
<br />IIlterfl.'lence fWllllhe le~t \II ..,.;jelY Of ~O\'l'rnmeIlL Yet.
<br />It I> felt tllJ! s(J,lel~ and gllll.'rnment sh\luld provide
<br />JSsistan.:e rn redudllg Jlld rl1Jstl'Ting lhe pr<lblcmswhich
<br />the Irldil'iduil[ fil.:es. Tllere h:J" b.'en a 10111' mistrust of
<br />":l.'ntral !"I\....rnlllel1l. hut :J h'ry "trong el1lphJsis Jnd
<br />pliJ... in I,}(al guvernll1l'ntal inslltutlons. Lnf\\ftuIlJlely.
<br />IUl';Jl g,)\'erlllllenls quile ollen ..'ann"t prm'ide the assisl'
<br />an,'c de"lIl~d ne":,,ss:HY. CorN'quemly. there hJS been a
<br />.:on':Urn'lIl dllve 10 Il'uu,'e tIlt' inl1l1en.:e of ,'enlra]
<br />l',I\'emlllcnt while agllJlJllg for mOle aid from the sam...
<br />imtilUuom. [I IS;J paradox l11Udllr1l'\'IJen~'e tlldilY.
<br />In spill' uf the IllJlIY pfoblems. Ihe hHe of n.'\\" lanJ
<br />Jnd thl' promot""1s lIt" th... railwaJs brought large
<br />numbl'ls of s.:llkrs inhl Ihe bJsin. In IX70. thc
<br />pUpll]illi"n of Is:amas was J64..N9. III 18.'10. it WJ.~
<br />q')6.0'1('" an ill.;rCJSl' <If Jltnmt 300 P'l.'rcent within a
<br />del.:ade. 111e p<lpUlalipll or :'\c'ora,b in<:rcJ.seJ mort' than
<br />600.000 hetweell l1'\kO alld 11\:90. The Dakutas. J great
<br />l.'xpallsc IIf allllO~1 uninhabll..:d lernlory. was a suffj,
<br />..:i"lllly PllPulous region within a d.'..:adl' III bl' admilled
<br />tt> the Union III HiX'I il, Iwo stale... In thl" shorl ,p~n uf
<br />:'i0 yeJr~. rs7().I'J~0, ,he popublillll haJ inueJseJ I~
<br />time, III th.' ~<."\ell plall1s Sliltl'. of Ihe oJsin. There ....'JS il
<br />..:ompk'tl.' tlilnsllhlll l'roll1 th... o(X'1l rangl. ..:allle and
<br />shl.'epgrJllllg 10 farminganJ lan.:hing.
<br />A rhaSl.' 01 the ,)..:t'upali,111 of the plalllS uf the bilstrl
<br />wa~ Ihe dbposSt'ssi\ln of the Indians. Until 11\1.1 I, the
<br />basin IndiallS were g...nerall) l>1I fnendly tr;orms with thl'
<br />tlll!eJ 5IJt.'s. Liler. dfl\'<'n to d"SPt'TJti'lll by the
<br />uhvious fa..'1 thJI thl' l'nd was neal, Ihe Indians Illilde
<br />Ihclr last ,land agilLn~llhe enc'rua.:hing St.'1l!el1lenl by th~
<br />whiles. The SIOUX uprising ,)1' II'(,~ was followed hy tha!
<br />uf Ihe Cheyenne and "th,'r tribes 1Il the IShO's. Jnd the
<br />.;rruggle .:ulminateJ inlhe Sioux \br of 1870. Artel this.
<br />the InJiilns were bT!!d~ l'onIJinl'd upon their
<br />reM:"r'-"atiurls.
<br />By 1900. 1ll,"1 of the gnod atJbl.' bnd haJ bl'~n
<br />tJken within tht' bJSlll Thl' t'atllll.'r"s flllnti~'r had met
<br />and e\proprrilteJ l1lu.:h 01 the randIer's .:ow ":l)lIntr~
<br />anJ tw.... rt'a,'lleJ Ihe milling ":oUlllr~ in the Rll.:kres,
<br />O.:.:upall.ltl and e.;onmni.: delelopment well.' folfllwed
<br />by admission tu <.tJldwtlJ; Coloradn in [h7h. '\mlh
<br />DakulJ. SIlUlh DJklltJ, ;Jnd .\luf1tanJ in I~~N. and
<br />Wyoming 111 1,s90.
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