Final answer:
Mining and cattle ranching transformed from individualized 'get rich quick' pursuits to big business operations due to the depletion of resources and the rise of companies with the capital and infrastructure to profit, indicative of the broader shift in America from an agrarian to an industrial economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transformation of Mining and Cattle Ranching into Big Business
In the late nineteenth century, mining and cattle ranching were among the primary industries that transformed the American West. Initially, the allure of "get rich quick" schemes attracted individuals to these industries, with mining in particular garnering attention for its prospects of immediate wealth through gold and other precious metals. The cattle industry capitalized on the demand for meat in Eastern markets through cattle drives, backed by the connectivity provided by new railroad lines.
As the century drew to a close, these individualized efforts began to dwindle due to depletion of easily accessible resources. In their wake, industrialization and the rise of big business took hold. Companies with substantial infrastructure investment and the capital to back it up began to dominate, transforming small frontier towns into bustling cities and fundamentally changing the economic landscape. This shift also played a part in the broader American ideological pursuit of Manifest Destiny, as Eastern business models and culture spread westward.
Industrialization did not just transform the West; it signified a broader shift in the American economy from agrarian to industrial, as factory production took precedence over farm production. Advances in technology, an influx of immigrant labor, and new transportation and communication systems like railroads and telegraphs were the pivotal forces behind this transformation.