This Is the. W e s t

This Is the W e s t

This Is the W e s t Copyright by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to School Permissions and Copyrights, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Fax: 407-345-2418. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt, Inc., registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in the United States of America ISBN-13: 978-0-15-352840-8 ISBN-10: 0-15-352840-0 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited and is illegal. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 179 11 10 09 08 07 06 Visit The Learning Site! www.harcourtschool.com

Geography of the West What kinds of landforms and natural resources does the West have? The Rocky Mountains run from north to south. They mark the start of the West. The Rockies are among the highest mountains in North America. To the west of the Rockies is a huge desert. Flat land is to the north and south. More mountain ranges lie along the coast. Alaska and Hawaii also have mountains. Grand Teton is part of the Rocky Mountains.

Some of the West s mountains are volcanoes. A volcano can build a mountain. Melted rock from the volcano flows onto Earth s surface and cools. The West has extreme climates. Death Valley is the country s lowest land. It is also the driest and hottest. The West has forests and minerals. The coast has land for farms. The Pacific Ocean and major rivers here are rich in fish. GENERALIZE What kinds of landforms and natural resources does the West have?

Early History of the West How was the West settled? Many different Native American groups lived in the West. Some groups hunted for food. They gathered nuts and plants, too. Groups along the coast caught fish. They also hunted whales. Some groups traded for things they needed. In the 1800s, American explorers began to come to the West. In 1804, Lewis and Clark traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea helped guide Lewis and Clark.

A railroad connecting the East and the West was built from 1862 to 1869. The Rocky Mountains were a barrier for early settlers. They blocked the way to the West. Then an opening between mountains was found. Starting in 1843, many settlers went through the opening. They made new homes in the West. In 1848, gold was found in California. The news spread. People rushed to the West. They hoped to get rich. Many stayed and started new towns. In 1869, a new railroad was finished. It brought many more settlers to the West. Generalize How was the West settled?

Gold Miners Background At the time of the gold rush, much of California was wild. Miners often lived in simple mining camps. These were far away from towns. Miners needed strong tools. They made new tools to make the search for gold easier. PICK Miners dug for gold with picks like this one. CLOTHES Miners needed clothes that would last a long time. These pants were made of strong cloth.

METAL PAN Miners used metal pans to find gold in rivers. The pan was filled with dirt and water. When the water was poured out, gold would sink to the bottom of the pan. CRADLE Two or more people were needed to work a cradle. This tool separated gold from dirt. ADVERTISEMENT This ad is for a store that sold things to miners. These stores also served as post offices and banking centers. Why might long-lasting clothes have been important to miners? What were some things for sale at the store?

Environment of the West How do people in the West use and protect land and water? The West has rich resources. In the late 1800s, the government stopped letting people settle on some lands. It wanted to take over these lands. They became public land. Public land is land that the government owns. Today in the West, the U.S. government controls much of the land that has resources. These miners work in a silver mine.

This drawing shows how a dam makes electricity. People have built dams on large rivers. Water builds up behind a dam. It forms a lake. People take water from the lake. This water supplies towns and farms. Dams can also make power. Water flowing from the lake makes machines turn. The machines make electricity. People try to protect the land and the water. They decide how some land can be used. Some public lands are set aside as national parks. People can visit them. MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS How do people in the West use and protect land and water?

states today? Mountain States What is life like in the Mountain There are six Mountain states. They are Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The mountains shape people s lives. There is not much space for cities. Most Mountain states have few large cities. Winter storms bring heavy snows, making it difficult to travel. Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains. 10

Skiers enjoy living in the Mountain states. All of the Mountain states have ski areas. National parks and forests cover much of the land. People visit these places to hike, boat, fish, hunt, and ski. The United States government owns large areas of land. The Army and Air Force use them. Some Mountain states have high-tech industries. They make things for companies and consumers. A consumer is a person who buys a thing or a service. GENERALIZE What is life like in the Mountain states today? 11

Pacific States What is life like in the Pacific states today? There are five Pacific states. They are California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. California has the most people of any state. Farming is important there. Half of all food grown in the United States comes from this state. California also leads all other states in making things like computers. Los Angeles is the center for movies, TV, and music. California has a diverse culture, economy, and geography. 12

The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes. Oregon and Washington are much alike. Most people there live and work in cities. Portland and Seattle are the biggest cities. Farmers in these states grow flowers, fruits, and nuts. Alaska is the state farthest north. It is the largest state. It has no large cities. Oil and fishing are this state s main industries. Hawaii is a group of islands. People there keep up the islands heritage. This is the ways of life passed down over time. GENERALIZE What is life like in the Pacific states today? 13

Activity 1 Identify the term that correctly matches each definition. volcanoes barrier public land consumer heritage 1. is land that the government owns. 2. In Hawaii, people keep up their, or ways of life passed down over time. 3. The Rocky Mountains were a for settlers traveling to the West. 4. A is someone who buys a thing or a service. 5. The land in Hawaii was formed by melted rock from. 14

Activity 2 Look at the list of vocabulary words. Categorize the words in a chart like the one below. Then use a dictionary to learn the definitions of the words you do not know. Continental Divide volcano lava crater earthquake fault timberline barrier wagon train forty-niner boomtown telegraph transcontinental public land hydroelectricity ecosystem satellite Global Positioning System consumer microchip archipelago crossroads heritage ecosystem telegraph lava I Know Sounds Familiar Don t Know 15

Generalize What is the geography of the West like? Vocabulary 1. What does a consumer do? Recall 2. What landform marks the start of the West? 3. When was gold discovered in the West? 4. Why do most Mountain states have few large cities? Critical Thinking 5. Why is it important for people to protect the land and the water? Activity Make a Time Line Choose three important dates from this book. Use them to make a time line. Draw a picture for each date. Photo credits 2 Bryan Mullennix/Getty images; 4 The Granger; Collection, New York; 6 (bl) Levi Strauss & Co.; (tr) Courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California, Collection of Norm Wilson; 7 (c) Courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California; (tr) Jules Frazier/PhotoDisc; (bl) Bettmann/Corbis; 8 Hecla Mining Company; 10 Gene Ahrens / SuperStock; 11 Marc Muench/Corbis; 12 (lc) Mark Richards/PhotoEdit; (bc) Craig Aurness/Corbis; 13 Douglas Peebles/Superstock 16