Urban Adaptations
The Euro-American towns and cities which arose in the 1860s were undoubtedly scary places for the People. Sarah Winnemucca recounts how children were told that the whites ate people. These stories were probably intended to keep the children from going near these dangerous intruders. The urban whites often tried to kidnap Native Americans to force them into servitude. Traveling in groups became essential.
After the invading Euro-Americans cut down the pine-nut trees and took over the land for ranches, many Native Americans were forced to seek work in the white settlements in order to survive. It was a sad and difficult time for the People. Racial discrimination made finding work difficult. Some of the People found jobs at the mines or lumber mills. Others started small business enterprises such as washing clothes, or gathering the remaining wild food to sell to the whites. It was a struggle just to eke out a living in this strange and often hostile environment.
