(G4-2)_Final_SS_Chapter9_LS4_Growth of West

<American Indian Past>

The forests and rivers of Alaska’s southeastern coast offered plenty of fish and game for the American Indians who settled there long ago. One such group, the _______, built their homes from large planks cut from trees found in the forests. Some _______ families placed a totem pole outside their homes. A totem pole is a tall post carved with the images of people and animals. The Tlingit traded canoes, wool blankets, and seal oil with other American Indians. Today, many Tlingit people still live in the region. They live on lands where their families have survived for hundreds of years.

<American Indian Past>

The _____ live in the Arctic region of northern Alaska. They have survived on fish and game. But for a few months each year, the tundra thaws and the Inuit add berries to their meals. The Inuit passed their history and culture down to their children through stories and songs.

<American Indian Past>

The _________ people have lived in what is now Montana for many years. In the past, the Blackfeet worked together to gather food and to protect their villages. Each group, or band, had a leader known as the chief. There was also a council of older people that met to make important decisions

<American Indian Past>

The _______ lived along the California coast for thousands of years before explorers from Europe arrived. They fished in the ocean using canoes made from redwood trees. The Chumash were known for the tools they made from stone, wood, and the bones of whales.

Chumash homes were made of a kind of grass called ____.

<American Indian Past>

Long ago, people from _________ migrated to the islands of Hawaii. Polynesia is a group of islands far to the west in the Pacific Ocean. These people told stories about Pele, the goddess of fire. They believed she was responsible for the volcanoes and lava flows on the islands

<Early Spanish Settlers>

In 1542, the explorer ____ _________ ________ sailed from the west coast of what is now Mexico and headed north. Like Christopher Columbus, Cabrillo was exploring on behalf of Spain. His plan was to search the Pacific coast for riches and a possible route to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. ________ was probably the first European to land along the California coast. Eventually, Spanish explorers would travel up the coast as far as Alaska.

<Early Spanish Settlers>

By 1769, a priest named Father ________ _____ built the first mission in what is now San Diego, California. Other California cities such as Santa Barbara and San Francisco also began as missions.

By 1823, 21 missions had been built to serve both the Spanish settlers and the American Indians.

To encourage settlement of the area around the missions, the Spanish government gave land and supplies to settlers. These plots of land, which were used mostly for raising cattle and sheep, were called _______. It is from this Spanish word that we get the word ranch. A ranch is a large area of land set aside for raising livestock.

<In Search of Opportunity>

________ _____ was a New Yorker who joined a group of fur traders who wanted to explore the West.

In 1826, Smith crossed the Mojave Desert into what is now California. Smith may have been the first white man to enter the region from the East. Later, other American explorers and some settlers began to head west.

<In Search of Opportunity>

In 1848, a man named James Marshall was building a sawmill for a businessman named John Sutter. The mill was on the American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. In the water, Marshall saw sparkling yellow flakes that he recognized as gold. News of his discovery spread quickly, and thousands of people came to California in what became known as the ____ ____.

This sudden increase in people and business activity created towns called _________. The prospectors, or people who search for gold or other minerals, were nicknamed “fortyniners.” This was because it was in 1849 when the rush of gold miners first hit the area.

<In Search of Opportunity>

Some settlers came west for religious freedom. The _______, a religious group, settled in the area that is now Salt Lake City, Utah.