after the civil war, people continued to move west where new states were formed. people now could get free land in the west due to an 1862 law called the homestead act. most of the land in the west was owned by the government, railroads, or large farmers. the transcontinental railroad, finished in 1869, helped get people and goods from the west to the rest of the country. chicago became the center of trade between west and east because many rail lines met there. there were problems between the white settlers and the native indians as more people began to move west. because of this, many more indians were killed at battles such as wounded knee. almost all the indians' land was taken away by laws like the dawes act.