The Open RoadThe Development of the Turnpike

1795 - The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road

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First Turnpike- 1790 Lancaster, PA

First Turnpike- 1790 Lancaster, PA

By 1832, nearly 2400 mi. of road connected most

major cities.

Conestoga Wagons were the primary means of travelling on these new roads.

Conestoga Trail, 1820s

The road's construction marked the beginning of organized road improvement following the American Revolution.

The road opened the territory northwest of the Ohio River and provided cheap transportation between the coast cities and the country's "bread basket" region surrounding Lancaster.

By 1843, railroads and canals drove stagecoach and Conestoga wagon companies into a drastic decline.

If the ground was soft and squelchy, short sawn logs could be laid across a road bed. The resulting pattern of logs looked like the ribs in corduroy fabric, hence its name.

These roads allowed people to travel through areas that typically would be impassable due to the muddy conditions

Congress first financed road and ran from Maryland into Illinois

• The National Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government.

• The 620-mile long National Road provided a connection between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers.

Station Activity:• Using a map create a national road system.

• Make sure that you can reach all the states by way of road

• Dots on the map are major cities

• It would be helpful to connect the major cities VIA roads

• Answer the following questions on the back of your maps

• How were the first roads created?

• How would the United States be different if there was not a road system?