are not eaten fresh because of their sour
taste. They are frozen or canned and
used in sauces and pastries, such as
cherry pie.
Some kinds of cherry tree do not bear
fruit. But people like these trees for the
beautiful pink and white flowers they
bear. Many cherry trees are planted in
gardens and parks, especially in Japan.
The wood of cherry trees is valued for its
rich red color. People use cherry wood to
make cabinets, furniture, and other
products.
#More to explore
Fruit
Chestnut
Chestnuts are tall trees that produce
sweet-tasting nuts and useful wood.
There are four species, or types, of chestnut
tree: American, European, Chinese,
and Japanese. They are related to oak
and beech trees.
Chestnut trees can grow to a height of
about 100 feet (30 meters). The bark has
deep grooves. The leaves are shiny green
and oval-shaped with pointed edges.
The nuts are found inside green, cupshaped
structures with a spiky shell.
Each holds two or three nuts.
The American chestnut tree was once
common in eastern North America.
However, in the 1900s a disease called
chestnut blight killed almost all the
American chestnuts. The blight also
attacks the European chestnut. It does
not affect Chinese or Japanese chestnuts.
Some of the trees called chinquapins are
closely related to the chestnuts. But their
fruits contain only one nut. Other
plants that are called chestnuts are not
related to the true chestnuts. These
include horse chestnut trees, which bear
nuts that are not usually eaten.Water
Tall chestnut trees provide welcome shade to
an avenue.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Chestnut 89
chestnuts are water plants that produce a
nutlike fruit.
..More to explore
Nut • Oak •Tree
Cheyenne
The Native American people known as
the Cheyenne originally were farmers.
Later, however, they became traveling
bison (buffalo) hunters. They spoke an
Algonquian language.
Before 1700 the Cheyenne lived in the
upper Mississippi River valley, in what
is now Minnesota. There they farmed,
gathered wild rice, and made pottery.
They later moved west to what is now
North Dakota. It was probably there
that they first got horses, which
changed their way of life. The
Cheyenne began to hunt bison on
horseback. They ate bison meat, used
the bones for tools, and made clothing
and tepees from the skins. To follow the
herds, the Cheyenne gradually
abandoned their villages and gave up
farming.
The Cheyenne eventually spread across
much of the Great Plains. In the 1830s
many Cheyenne moved south to what is
now Colorado. The tribe divided into
northern and southern branches. The
Northern Cheyenne continued to roam
the plains, but the Southern Cheyenne
chose a more settled lifestyle. From the
1850s through the 1870s the Cheyenne
fought with U.S. soldiers and settlers
heading west. At the end of the 20th
century the Cheyenne population was
about 11,000, mostly in Oklahoma and
Montana.
..More to explore
Algonquian • Native Americans
Cheyenne
Population
(2000 census)
53,011; (2007
estimate)
55,641
Cheyenne is the capital of the U.S. state
ofWyoming. Many people in the city
work for the government. Many others
work in health care, banking, and tourism.
Factories in Cheyenne process oil
and make chemicals.
Cheyenne was founded in 1867. It was
named after the Cheyenne Indians, who
lived in the area. The site was a station
on the first railroad to cross the United
Members of the Cheyenne tribe of Native
Americans perform at a festival in Washington,
D.C.
90 Cheyenne BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
States. Many of the first residents of
Cheyenne went there to help build the
railroad. Cheyenne became the capital of
theWyoming territory in 1869. The
territory became a state in 1890.
Cheyenne was an outpost of theWild
West. Cowboys drove cattle north from
Texas to the railroad at Cheyenne.
Cattle were also raised on nearby
ranches. In the 1870s Cheyenne became
a supply center for the area’s gold miners.
Gunfighters, gamblers, and other
colorful characters roamed the city.
Today Cheyenne takes pride in its Old
West heritage. Every July the city holds a
famous rodeo.
#More to explore
Cheyenne •Wyoming
Chiang Kai-shek
The Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek
helped to overthrow the last emperor of
China. He later fought for control of the
country as head of the Nationalist Party.
Chiang Kai-shek was born on October
31, 1887. He studied military science in
Tokyo. There he became a follower of
the Chinese revolutionary leader Sun
Yat-sen.
Chiang returned to China in 1911. He
took part in a revolution that overthrew
the ruling Qing, or Manchu, Dynasty
and made China a republic. However,
for several years after that there was no
stable government as military warlords
struggled for power.
After a period of study in the Soviet
Union, Chiang returned to China in
1923. Two years later he followed Sun as
head of the Kuomintang (Nationalist
Party). During this period Communists
were part of the Nationalist Party, but in
1927 Chiang forced the Communists to
leave. He also moved against the warlords
and in 1928 established a new
government. The warlords as well as the
The state Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyoming,
stands in a grassy park.
