The Gold Rushes

Fort Kearny, Nebraska

The first Fort Kearny, not to be confused with the later Fort Phil Kearney built along the Bozeman Trail in Wyoming, was located in Nebraska. However, Fort Kearny was nearly deserted within a year after its construction due to the need for troops to fight the Mexican War. A second Fort Kearny, built in 1847, and originally called Fort Childs, was also intended to protect the Oregon Trail.

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Prior to the building of Fort Kearny and Fort Phil Kearney about the only protection afforded travelers anywhere near the Oregon Trail was Fort Leavenworth, in present-day Kansas. Built in 1827, its intended function was to protect the Santa Fe Trail.

Pike's Peak or Bust

The California, gold rush was only the beginning of a westward movement inspired by visions of riches. The rush for gold began anew when, in 1857, Chiefs Little Beaver and Fall Leaf, with their band of Delawares, rode into Lawrence, Kansas and displayed some quills of gold dust.

Upon being questioned as to where they had found the gold they pointed westward.

The result was that by 1858 there was a mining camp established along the banks of Cherry Creek in present-day Colorado. Now the Pike's Peak gold rush was in full swing. One year later, in 1859, gold was discovered in Nevada.

Pierce Discovers Gold on Forbidden Land

Around about 1860, gold was next discovered along present-day's Idaho's Salmon River when Elias Pierce snuck into forbidden lands on the Nez Perce reservation and discovered gold on Orofino Creek.

Montana Gold Rush

Two years after the Idaho gold rush the miners were still swarming westward, this time to Montana and the gold discoveries on Alder Creek. Now thousands of folks were heading towards Montana, and one fellow, John Bozeman, left his mark in the history books for all time.

John Bozeman's Trail

When John Bozeman headed for Montana, and its gold fields, there were only two western routes to Montana from the East. One followed the Missouri River north and west and then turned south. The other route went to present-day western Wyoming and then passed north through what is now Idaho.

Determined to find a more direct way, Bozeman traced what became known as the Bozeman Trail. This trail ran from western Montana east past the Bighorn Mountains, where it turned south. The only problem was that the trail passed through lands that were reserved by treaty to the Sioux Indians. In spite of this, the government went ahead and built some military forts along this Bozeman Trail to protect people traveling to the Montana gold fields and other points westward.

Red Cloud and Crazy Horse

This situation of building forts along the Bozeman Trail stirred up the Indians fiercely, especially the Sioux and two of their leaders, Red Cloud and Crazy Horse. Eventually the military abandoned the forts they had built along the Bozeman Trail , resulting in Red Cloud burning the vacated forts.

Immigrant Families Come to Stay

But all of the fort-burning the Sioux did not stem the tide of wagon trains crossing the Plains along the Oregon and California Trails. Whereas previously most of these westward travelers had been men, who had left their families back east, now they were bringing their families with them with the intentions of staying where they landed and putting down roots.

Cholera, Small Pox, and Measles

These folks were not only bringing their kids and cows with them but also riding along for the jaunt was the dreaded cholera, small pox, measles, and a host of other ailments that the native population had no immunity for. Plus their cattle were stripping the grass that was food for the buffalo.

The Gold Rushes: Gold Discovered in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada continues with The Cow or the Buffalo: The West Not Big Enough For Both.

Previous: They Headed West: America's Westward Expansion.

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