Triumph of the RailsAmerica’s Economic Revolution

The Turnpike Era

As the territory of the United States expanded, roads became less practical for moving goods

The need for better long-distance transportation brought an end to the turnpike era

Rivers

While shipping downstream was common and convenient, shipping goods upstream provided a challenge.

New Orleans became the shipping center of the United States Farmers in the West sent their goods in Sent by Steamship to eastern cities

This arrangement worked, but it also drove prices up

Canals

A team of 4 horses could haul 100 times the cargo along a canal than it could along a road

The great expense of building canals meant that the projects fell mostly into the realm of the states

Northeastern states were the first to start construction

The Erie Canal

40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, 350 miles long

The largest construction project undertaken in the United States at the time

Traffic was so heavy on the Canal that tools had repaid the entire cost in 7 years

The Erie and other canals gave New York direct access to Chicago

New York and Chicago begin to compete with New Orleans as shipping centers

Early Railroads

Most early railroads in the United States were relatively short

They were initially used to connect water routes

Canal companies and even state governments often interfered with or restricted the growth of railroads for fear of competition

Triumph of the Rails

After 1840, railroads begin to replace canals and all other modes of transportation

Rails were much easier and cheaper to lay than digging canals Private companies could afford it

Chicago became the rail center of the West

State and federal governments helped private companies to finance the rails through loans and land grants

Close

Why did the rail system supplant the canal system as the nation’s major

transportation network?