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The Massacre of Captain John Gunnison and his Explorers in 1853

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Two events took place in the mid-19th century in the United States that set the stage for a third which became an historic turning point in American history. The settlement of Mormons in Utah and their pursuit to establish their own government coupled with explorations to develop the transcontinental railroad laid the groundwork for the massacre of Captain John Gunnison and his explorers in 1853 which took eight lives. As massacres go, the loss of eight people was not numerically remarkable. What made the Gunnison Massacre exceptional is that it catapulted into the American conscious. Both Mormons and American Indians entered the spotlight of American attention, and the resulting outrage forever changed American sentiment and government …show more content…

The Corps described the topography, route, buildings and culture of an assigned survey area, made sketches of routes and distances, noted important observations, and kept a journal of daily movements when the army was on the march. To accomplish this, such an expedition team would typically include surveyors, a geologist, botanist, astronomer, meteorologist and an artist. Transcontinental railroad After the United States acquired so much more territory, the push for expansion accelerated and spurred development of an American transcontinental railroad line. The California Gold Rush of 1848 fanned the flames of westward exploration and settlement. One of the biggest challenges was finding the most suitable route. Businessmen were eager to expand their horizons and capitalize on new western markets. In 1845, an early proponent of a transcontinental railroad, Asa Whitney, led an exploratory team along the route he envisioned from Chicago to northern California. As a highly successful dry goods merchant and locomotive manufacturer in New Rochelle, New York, Whitney traveled widely to solicit support from other businessmen and politicians. He proposed selling land to settlers along the route to finance construction. Whitney printed maps and pamphlets and submitted several proposals to Congress. He was thwarted, however, by southern business interests who opposed his plan because they would not

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