Millions of dollars were spent raising cattle by ranchers, including Theodore Roosevelt. The 1862 Homestead Act opened the range for farmers which conflicted with ranchers. Windmills, the steel plow and barbed wire, along with severe winters contributed to the demise of the open range. 
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End of the Open Range

Dr. History's audio stories of the Old West. Stories of Cowboys, Indians, Mountain men, pioneers, the Oregon Trail, miners, cattle drives, stagecoach and bank robbers, the cavalry, outlaws and lawmen, some famous and some you have never heard of. From the Custer Battlefield to the Klondike to Indian battles to buried treasure and lost mines to the early explorers. I love telling true stories that shaped the old west.

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Native Americans would gamble for religious purposes as well for entertainment. They could lose all their worldly goods with a roll of the dice, the guess of who holds a bean or a game called “ball play”, similar to lacrosse. Gambling between tribes has been going on for centuries before the white man showed up.
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Tribal Gambling

Molly Brown visits us from beyond the grave for a person-to-person interview. The Lady from Leadville, married Johnny Brown, became amazingly wealthy and traveled the world. She tells us of her experience on the Titanic. She always was there to help those in need.
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Beyond the Grave: Unsinkable Molly Brown

Almost everyone gambled in the old west, from kids to the old folks. Fortunes were won or lost with the toss of the dice or turn of a card. Gamblers could be found in large or small towns, mining camps, rail workers camps, anyplace where a few men wanted some excitement.
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Frontier Gambling

The railroads needed settlers to fill the land. They spent a lot of money promoting the land, even sending people to Europe to entice them to come to America. Towns needed a railroad spur to ensure they town would grow, some did, others just disappeared.
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Railroad Settlers

The Southern Pacific encouraged settlers to farm and improve on their land grants with the understanding they would be able to buy it for from $2.50 to $5 per acre. When the railroad raised that price to $25 and $35 an acre, the farmers revolted. They were being evicted from the land they had worked for years. In the end the railroad won.
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End of the Open Range

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