Time Line of the Old West

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Time Line of the Old West

Time Line of the Old West

The "Wild West," an era etched in the American imagination, is typically defined as spanning from 1865 to 1895. However, the story of the American West is far more extensive, encompassing millennia of transformations that shaped the region from ancient times up to 1916. This Time Line of the Old West delves into the key events that forged the landscapes, cultures, and legends of this captivating territory.

Ancient Footprints and Early Inhabitants:

  • 50,000-5000 B.C.: The story begins with the Paleo-Siberians, nomadic peoples who migrated from Asia to North America via the Bering Strait land bridge. This marked the arrival of the first inhabitants of the continent, ancestors of many of the Native American tribes that would later define the American West.

  • 1500 B.C.-1000 A.D.: In the arid landscapes of the Southwest, the Ancient Puebloan culture flourished. These sophisticated people, known for their intricate pottery, advanced agricultural techniques, and remarkable cliff dwellings, left an indelible mark on the region. Their legacy continues to inspire awe and fascination, providing insights into the lives of the early inhabitants of the American West.

European Exploration and Encounters:

  • 1540: Driven by the allure of gold, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led a Spanish expedition from Mexico into the Southwest. His quest took him through vast stretches of present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and even as far as Kansas and Nebraska. The expedition, though ultimately unsuccessful in finding riches, marked a significant moment of contact between Europeans and the indigenous populations of the American West. Simultaneously, the Hernando de Soto expedition ventured as far west as Oklahoma, expanding the reach of European exploration.

  • 1541: Coronado became the first European to encounter the Pueblo peoples in New Mexico. His expedition also ventured across the Arkansas River, reaching the borderlands of Kansas and Nebraska, expanding the known geographical extent of the American West to European explorers.

  • 1542: Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed in San Diego, California, initiating Spain’s claim over the region and laying the foundation for future Spanish settlements along the California coast.

  • 1548: In search of the elusive Northwest Passage, Captain James Cook charted a portion of the Oregon coastline, contributing to the growing body of knowledge about the Pacific Northwest.

  • 1549: Sir Francis Drake, the famed English naval officer, claimed California for Britain, further complicating the geopolitical landscape of the region.

  • 1598: Juan de Onate established San Gabriel in New Mexico, marking the beginning of permanent Spanish settlements in the region.

  • 1610: Don Pedro de Peralta founded Santa Fe, New Mexico, which became a vital center of Spanish influence and trade in the Southwest.

  • 1680: The Pueblo Revolt erupted in Northern New Mexico as the Pueblo Indians, angered by the atrocities committed by Spanish explorers and colonists, rose up in resistance. They successfully drove out the Spanish settlers, reclaiming their lands and culture. This was a significant event of the Time Line of the Old West, demonstrating the strength and resilience of the Native American people.

  • 1682: The Spanish established Ysleta, near present-day El Paso, as the first permanent settlement in Texas, marking the beginning of Spanish presence in the region.

  • 1685: A short-lived French colony was established at Matagorda Bay, Texas, demonstrating the competing European powers vying for control of the region.

  • 1692-94: Diego de Vargas led a successful campaign to re-conquer New Mexico for Spain, re-establishing Spanish authority in the region.

  • 1706: Juan de Ulibarri claimed Colorado for Spain, extending Spanish territorial claims further north.

  • 1743: Louis-Joseph and Francois Verendrye explored South Dakota in search of a water route to the Pacific Ocean, adding to the growing knowledge of the interior.

  • 1769: The Spanish built Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, the first California mission, initiating a system of religious and cultural transformation among the indigenous population.

  • 1776: Fort Tucson was established in Arizona, reinforcing Spanish military presence in the region. Franciscan friars Escalante and Dominguez explored Utah, expanding knowledge of the landscape. The Presidio was established in San Francisco, California, solidifying Spanish control of the area.

  • 1781: Los Angeles, California, was founded, becoming one of the major population centers of the West.

  • 1792-1804: Captain George Vancouver explored the coast of Washington, further mapping the Pacific Northwest.

American Expansion and Transformation:

  • 1803: The Louisiana Purchase dramatically expanded the United States, adding territory from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northwest, opening vast areas for exploration and settlement. The Lewis and Clark expedition began its exploration of the West, charting the newly acquired lands and establishing relations with Native American tribes.

  • 1805: Lewis and Clark explored Oregon and Washington, documenting the flora, fauna, and indigenous cultures of the region. Zebulon Pike’s expedition explored the American Southwest, contributing to the geographical understanding of the area. On October 10, Lewis and Clark met the Nez Perce, marking a significant encounter between the expedition and a powerful Native American tribe.

  • 1807: Fur trapper John Colter explored the Yellowstone area in Wyoming, revealing the region’s unique geological features and abundant wildlife.

  • 1808: John Jacob Astor organized the American Fur Company, dominating the fur trade and driving exploration throughout the West.

  • 1810: Mexico revolted against Spanish rule, leading to a period of instability and ultimately, Mexican independence. The North West Company established Spokane House, the first fur-trading post in Washington, expanding the fur trade network.

  • 1811: John Jacob Astor established a trading post at Astoria, Oregon, solidifying American presence in the Pacific Northwest.

  • 1812: The Russians built Fort Ross, north of San Francisco, California, establishing a Russian presence on the California coast. A Scottish party made the first permanent settlement in North Dakota. Missouri Territory was organized on June 4, 1812.

  • 1817: Fort Pierre was established in what would later become South Dakota, furthering American expansion into the interior.

  • 1818: The United States obtained the northeast part of North Dakota in a treaty with Britain, settling boundary disputes.

  • 1819: Arkansas Territory was organized on March 2.

  • 1820: Daniel Boone died on the Missouri frontier at age 85. The Missouri Compromise was passed, regulating slavery in the western territories. The Land Act of 1820 was enacted, paving the way for westward expansion. The first American traders arrived via the Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico. By this time, more than 20,000 Native Americans lived in virtual slavery at the California missions.

  • 1821: Led by Stephen Austin, the first Americans settled in Texas. The Hudson Bay Company established Fort Vancouver in what would become Washington state. The U.S. government began moving the "Five Civilized Tribes" of southeast America to lands west of the Mississippi River.

  • 1822: Mountain man James Bridger made the first expedition into the Rocky Mountains. Missouri Lieutenant Governor William Ashley placed an ad for fur traders for the new Rocky Mountain Trading Company.

  • 1823: Mexico became a republic. The first permanent settlement in Nebraska was established at Bellevue. On June 2, Arikara people attacked William Ashley and his band of fur traders. In August 1823, a force of Sioux and American soldiers led by Colonel Henry Leavenworth retaliated by attacking the Arikara.

  • 1824: James Bridger discovered the Great Salt Lake. Congress created the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

  • 1825: The first mountain man’s rendezvous occurred on Henry’s Fork of the Green River in present-day Wyoming.

  • 1826: On January 24, the Creek Tribe agreed to cede their land in Georgia and move west. On December 16, Benjamin Edwards rode into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches, Texas, and proclaimed himself the ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.

  • 1827: Fort Leavenworth was established in Kansas to protect travelers on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. Dr. John McLoughlin built the first sawmill in the Pacific Northwest.

  • 1830: The Indian Removal Act was passed on May 26. George Catlin became the first significant artist to paint the American Indians.

  • 1831: On February 24, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was proclaimed. On May 27, trapper-explorer Jedediah Smith was killed by Comanche Indians on the Santa Fe Trail. The First Missouri steamboat reached Pierre, South Dakota. James Bowie invented the Bowie knife.

  • 1832: April 6 – The Black Hawk War began. August 2 – Texas settlers refused an order to surrender their arms to José de las Piedras. October 20 – In the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek, the Chickasaw Nation ceded northern Mississippi.

  • 1833: On January 12, a law was passed that made it unlawful for any native person to remain within the boundaries of Florida. Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain opened Bent’s Fort on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. Samuel Colt invented and began producing the revolver. After Joseph Smith founded the Church of Latter-Day Saints community of Zion in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, residents demanded that they leave. On September 26, the Potawatomi of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois signed the Treaty of Chicago.

  • 1834: On June 30, the Indian Intercourse Act created Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Fort Laramie became the first trading post in Wyoming.

  • 1835: On October 2, the first battle of the Texas Revolution took place. On November 13, Texans proclaimed independence from Mexico, calling itself the Lone Star Republic.

  • 1836: Mexican forces attacked the Alamo on February 24. Texans under Sam Houston defeated the Mexican Army and captured General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Texas became a Republic.

  • 1838: On June 17, the Cherokee began the Trail of Tears. A smallpox epidemic north of San Francisco killed over 60,000 natives.

  • 1839: Missourians near Far West, Missouri, were no happier about the Mormons than those near Zion.

  • 1840: On March 19, the Republic of Texas soldiers killed some 30 Penateka Comanche leaders and warriors and five women and children in the Council House Fight in San Antonio. On May 10, Mormon leader Joseph Smith moved his band of followers to Illinois. August 11 – After the Council House Fight in San Antonio, Texas, the Comanche retaliated by raiding villages throughout the Guadalupe Valley. The Battle of Plum Creek was fought on August 11, resulting in a defeat of the Comanche.

  • 1841: The first covered wagons to travel the Oregon Trail arrived in Sacramento, California.

  • 1842: John C. Fremont began his exploration of the West with guide Kit Carson. August 14 – The Second Seminole War ended.

  • 1843: The California Trail opened.

  • 1844: Miles Goodyear established Fort Buenaventura, the first town in Utah.

  • 1845: John L. O’Sullivan claimed that the U.S. “manifest destiny” was to take Texas and spread to the Pacific Ocean. Texas was admitted to the Union. Texas banned saloons, but the law was never enforced.

  • 1846: Brigham Young and 3,000 Mormons set out for Utah on February 4, 1846. The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, on May 8. On May 13, the U.S. Congress declared war on Mexico. The Black Bear Revolt began in California. The American flag was raised in Monterey, California. The United States obtained the Oregon Territory. Mormons establish the first permanent settlement in Idaho. The Donner Party was trapped in the Sierra Nevada.

  • 1847: On January 13, the Treaty of Cahuenga ended the Mexican-American War in California. On January 19, the Pueblo people of Taos, New Mexico, struck back. Brigham Young and the Mormons arrived at the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Samuel Colt, with Texas Ranger Captain Sam Walker, developed the revolver. In the Whitman Massacre of November 29, Cayuse and Umatilla Indians murdered missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa, and 12 others.

  • 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War. James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in California. A Mormon trading post at Genoa was the first permanent settlement in Nevada. Oregon was organized as a territory. The State of Deseret, incorporated by the Mormons, includes Utah, most of Nevada and Arizona, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado.

  • 1849: 80,000 forty-niners make their way to California in search of gold. In January, Old Dry Diggings, California, was unofficially renamed Hangtown. At Chinese Camp, California, the first outbreak of anti-Chinese violence erupted. Outlaw Joaquin Murrieta retaliated by beginning a series of raids and criminal activities throughout the state.

  • 1850: Levi Strauss began manufacturing heavyweight trousers for gold miners. On June 3, five Cayuse men were hanged for the Whitman Massacre in Oregon City, Oregon. On September 9, California was admitted to the Union. On September 9, New Mexico and Utah were organized as territories. On September 29, President Millard Fillmore appointed Brigham Young as the first governor of Utah Territory. On November 29, the San Francisco Grand Jury condemned gambling. In the 1850s, the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance executed ten people for murder.

  • 1851: John L. Soule, in an editorial in the Terre Haute Express, advises: “Go West, young man, go West.” On September 17, the Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed by the Sioux Indians. On July 5, “Pretty Juanita,” was hanged in the California mining camps. On March 27, the Mariposa Battalion, led by James D. Savage, was the first reported non-natives to enter Yosemite Valley. On November 13, the Denny Party landed at Alki Point, where they were the first settlers of Seattle, Washington.

  • 1852: The Mormon Church in Utah officially acknowledges polygamy. On March 18, the Wells Fargo Company was founded.

  • 1853: On February 8, Washington was organized as a territory. On July 25, California Rangers claimed a $6000 reward by bringing in the severed head of outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. On October 25, Paiute Indians attacked U.S. Army Captain John W. Gunnison. On December 30, the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico added 29,640 square miles of the territory that became Arizona and New Mexico.

  • 1854: Nebraska and Kansas were organized as territories. White settlers in Del Norte County, California, ambushed and killed 30 Tolowa people. On May 30, the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise. August 19 – The Grattan Massacre occurred near Fort Laramie, Wyoming.

  • 1855: The Lecompton government was established in Kansas, starting the Kansas/Missouri Border War. On September 3, General William Harney and 700 soldiers took revenge for the Grattan Massacre. On October 4, Kamiakan, chief of the Yakama, defeated forces under Major Haller in the first engagement of the Yakama War in Washington Territory.

  • 1856: On May 21, Border Ruffians and other pro-slavery supporters captured and sacked the abolitionist town of Lawrence, Kansas. On May 24, in retaliation for the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, militant abolitionist John Brown led a raid against a pro-slavery settlement along Pottawatomie Creek.

  • 1857: On September 11, 1857, approximately 120 men, women, and children were murdered in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. On September 14, Mormon leader Brigham Young tried to prevent U.S. troops from entering the territory of Utah during the Utah War.

  • 1858: Gold was discovered in Colorado. The first nonstop stagecoach from St. Louis, Missouri, arrived in Los Angeles, California.

  • 1859: Oregon was admitted to the Union. Gold was discovered in Boulder Canyon, Colorado, sparking the Pikes Peak gold rush. The Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada. Painter Albert Bierstadt made his first trip to the West. The first steamboat from St. Louis arrived in Fort Benton, Montana.

  • 1860: Gold was discovered in Idaho.

  • 1861: The Pony Express completed its inaugural delivery. Kansas was admitted to the Union. North Dakota and Nevada were organized as territories. The Civil War began. Colorado was organized as a territory. Federal troops evacuated Indian Territory soldiers. Denver, Colorado, was incorporated as a city. Nevada was organized as a territory. Henry Griffin discovered gold near the Powder River in Oregon.

  • 1862: Gold was discovered in Montana near the present-day town of Dillon. Congress passed the Homestead Act. Civil War action was seen in Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico. Little Crow’s uprising occurred in New Mexico. The Battle at Picacho Pass in Arizona took place on April 15. Apache Chief Cochise attacked U.S. soldiers.

  • 1863: Arizona was organized as a territory. Idaho was organized as a territory. The Bozeman Trail opened from central Wyoming to Virginia City, Montana. Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Collis Huntington invested in the proposed Central Pacific Railroad. William Quantrill led a raid on Lawrence, Kansas. The U.S. Army killed more than 250 Shoshone Indians near Logan, Utah, in the Bear River Massacre.

  • 1864: Montana was organized as a territory. Nevada was admitted to the Union. Colorado cavalry volunteers killed 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek. Kit Carson accepted the surrender of 8,000 Navajo.

  • 1865: Indians massacred William J. Fetterman and 80 troops near Fort Kearny, Wyoming. Jesse and Frank James launched their criminal career. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving blazed the first cattle trail. Jesse Chisholm cut the Chisholm Trail. A cholera epidemic struck many American cities.

  • 1867: Nebraska was admitted to the Union. The first cattle drive from Texas up the Chisholm Trail arrived at Abilene, Kansas. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia. August 1 – The Hayfield Fight occurred. August 2 – The Wagon Box Fight between the Sioux and the U.S. Army occurred near Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming. The Treaty of Medicine Lodge created reservations in western Oklahoma.

  • 1868: The Sioux signed a treaty with the United States at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. The Kiowa were moved to the Oklahoma reservation. The Crow Indians were moved to a Montana reservation. The Battle of the Washita took place in Western Oklahoma. The Navajo Indian reservation was established in northeast Arizona.

  • 1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined at Promontory Point, Utah. Utah and Wyoming were organized as territories. Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote. Wild Bill Hickok was Marshall in Hays City, Kansas. Jesse James robbed his first bank. John Wesley Powell made his first expedition on the Green and Colorado Rivers.

  • 1870: The Osage Indians were moved to a reservation in northeast Oklahoma. The Ghost Dance movement appeared among the Paiute. Major General George Crook drove most of the Arizona Apache onto reservations. On September 6, Louisa Ann Swain became the first woman in America to vote in a public election at Laramie, Wyoming.

  • 1871: More than 100 Apache were killed in Arizona’s Camp Grant Massacre. Wild Bill Hickok was the Marshal in Abilene, Kansas.

  • 1872: “Buffalo Bill” Cody, General Sheridan, General Custer, Chief Spotted Tail, Chief Two Lance, and Grand Duke Alexis go on a buffalo hunt near North Platte, Nebraska. Apache Chief Cochise surrendered to General O.O. Howard. Yellowstone became the first U.S. national park. Dodge City, Kansas, was established as a center of the buffalo trade. The first formal rodeo was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Buffalo Bill Cody was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Sioux War began. The Modoc War raged in southern Oregon and northern California. The Big Bonanza was discovered in Nevada. Ellsworth succeeded Abilene as the northern stopping point on the Old Texas cattle trail.

  • 1873: The railroad arrived in South Dakota. Cable cars were introduced in San Francisco, California. President Grant vetoed a law protecting the buffalo herd. The Modoc Indian War ended in California. The double-action revolver was developed. The James Gang pulls its first train robbery at Adair, Iowa.

  • 1874: On June 27, 28 hunters drove off 700 Comanche warriors at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls. Gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Joseph Glidden received a patent for barbed wire. Fort Sill was established in southwestern Oklahoma.

  • 1875: On January 26, a posse representing the Pinkerton Detective Agency bombed the home belonging to Jesse James’ mother. “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker arrived in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Wyatt Earp began his career as a law officer in Wichita, Kansas. Deadwood, South Dakota, was founded. The U.S. Government ordered all Indians in the Black Hills and Wyoming to report to reservations. Prospectors find lead carbonate ores, rich in silver, near present-day Leadville, Colorado.

  • 1876: Bat Masterson became a deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. January 10 – “Texas Joe” Horner, Tom Wagman, and Bill Redding hold up the Martin and Company Bank in Comanche, Texas. March 17 – The Battle of the Powder River occurred in southeastern Montana. June 17 – The Battle of the Rosebud occurred. June 25 – Custer and his troops were slain at the Little Bighorn. August 1 – Colorado was admitted to the Union. August 2 – Wild Bill Hickok was murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota. September 7 – A bloody battle ensues in Northfield, Minnesota. September 30 – David ‘Davy’ Crockett was gunned down by Sheriff Rinehart in Cimarron, New Mexico.

  • 1877: The United States violated its treaty with the Dakota Sioux by seizing the Black Hills. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce surrendered after the Bear Paw battle in Montana. Crazy Horse was captured and then assassinated at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. John Wesley Hardin was sentenced to 25 years in the Texas State Prison. The Battle of the Big Hole occurred in Montana. Bat Masterson was the Sheriff of Dodge City, Kansas. August 17 – Billy the Kid shot his first man, Frank “Windy” Cahill.

  • 1878: On January 27, Dave Rudabaugh, Mike Roarke, Dan Dement, and three other masked men attempt to rob the Santa Fe train station near Kinsley, Kansas. Billy the Kid made a name for himself as a killer in the Lincoln County War. In March, John Younger was killed by Pinkerton detectives in St. Clair County, Missouri. An estimated 40,000 African Americans began to migrate from the former slave states into Kansas. These so-called Exodusters establish the first all-black pioneer town at Nicodemus, Kansas. The Bannock Indian War took place in Oregon. On November 27, homesteaders Ami Ketchum and Luther Mitchell shot and killed cattleman Bob Olive in Nebraska.

  • 1879: Wyatt Earp was a deputy U.S. Marshal for the Arizona Territory. Dull Knife escapes from Fort Robinson, Nebraska. The Meeker Massacre occurs at the White River Ute Reservation in Colorado. On September 26, Deadwood, Dakota Territory, burned to the ground.

  • 1880: The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad reached Santa Fe. Apache leader Victorio was slain in Mexico. Hide hunters have shot the buffalo to near extinction.

  • 1881: Billy the Kid was brought to justice by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Tombstone, Arizona, Deputy Marshal Wyatt Earp gunned down the Clantons at the O.K. Corral. Sitting Bull surrendered. Helen Hunt Jackson published A Century of Dishonor.

  • 1882: Jesse James was killed by Bob Ford. Stagecoach bandit Black Bart was captured in California. Adolph Bandelier began his exploration of the Ancient Puebloan ruins in New Mexico. Judge Roy Bean opened the Jersey Lily saloon in Langtry, Texas. Free Chinese immigration ended. Annie Oakley made her first public appearance at a sharpshooting show. The last great Indian buffalo hunt occurred in North Dakota.

  • 1883: Theodore Roosevelt arrived in North Dakota to hunt buffalo and bought a ranch. Swiss artist Karl Bodmer toured the West. Texas purchased the Alamo. The Northern Pacific Railroad was finally completed. Buffalo Bill Cody started his Wild West Show.

  • 1884: August 19 – John H. ‘Doc’ Holliday shot bartender Billy Allen in the arm over $5 at Leadville, Colorado.

  • 1886: Geronimo surrendered to General Nelson A. Miles in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. February 18 – Dave Rudabaugh, was captured and decapitated after terrorizing the village of Parral, Mexico. December 1 – Brothers Jim and Rube Burrow robbed their first train in Bellevue, Texas.

  • 1887: Silver was discovered in Leadville, Colorado. On November 8, Doc Holliday died of tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Congress passed the General Allotment or Dawes Act.

  • 1889: Fifty thousand homesteaders swarmed into Oklahoma. North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington were admitted to the Union. Belle Starr was shot down in cold blood from behind near her Oklahoma territory home. Butch Cassidy was involved in his first robbery.

  • 1890: Oklahoma was organized as a territory. Idaho and Wyoming were admitted to the Union. The massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, ended the Indian Wars. Sitting Bull was murdered in a confrontation at the Standing Rock Reservation. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the frontier was officially closed.

  • 1892: The Dalton Gang raided Coffeyville, Kansas. A cattlemen’s Army invaded Johnson County, Wyoming, in the Johnson County War.

  • 1893: Repeal of the Sherman Act demonetized silver.

  • 1896: Utah was admitted to the Union. Butch Cassidy formed the “Wild Bunch.”

  • 1900: Galveston, Texas, was hit by a hurricane. Jim Butler discovered silver at Tonopah, Nevada.

  • 1901: “Black gold” was discovered at the Spindle-top oil field near Beaumont, Texas. On April 26, Black Jack Ketchum was hanged in Clayton, New Mexico.

  • 1906: The great earthquake and fire level in San Francisco.

  • 1907: Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory were joined to create the state of Oklahoma. Tribal governments were abolished in Oklahoma.

  • 1912: New Mexico was admitted to the Union. Arizona was admitted to the Union.

  • 1916: On December 5, 1916, the last stage robbery in the nation took place in Jarbridge Canyon, Nevada.

Compiled by Kathy Alexander, updated January 2025.

See Also:

  • Adventures in the American West
  • American History Timelines
  • Explorers, Trappers & Traders
  • Native American Timeline
  • Westward Expansion & Manifest Destiny

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