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How Did Transportation Change From 1815 To 1860

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During the period of 1815-1860, a Transportation Revolution swept through America (Murrin pg. 293). The improvements in transportation included more and better roads. steamboats, canals, and railroads (Murrin pg. 293). These new railroads were able to connect old communities with previously isolated areas (Murrin pg. 293). In 1815 the United States was a rural area stretching from old settlements on the Atlantic coast to the trans-Appalachian west, with transportation facilities spanning from primitive and nonexistent (Murrin pg. 294). West of the Appalachians, transportation was nonexistent (Murrin pg. 294). Many boatmen who made a trip from Louisville to New Orleans would spend a whole month navigating through dangerous waters through unsettled territory (Murrin pg. 294). …show more content…

Robert launched his steamboat the Clermont on an upriver trip from New York City to Albany in 1807 (Murrin p.g 295). Over the next few years, some Americans developed flat bottomed steamboats that could navigate rivers even at low water (Cortés Lecture October 31). By 1820, 69 steamboats were operating western rivers. The 60,000 tons of produce that farmers shipped out of the interior in 1810 grew to 500,000 tons in 1840 (Cortés Lecture October 31). In 1815 it took 52 days to travel from Cincinnati to New York over land. By the 1840s steamboats helped reduce transit time to 18-20 days (Cortés Lecture October 31). The cost of transporting goods drooped a great 95% between 1815 and 1860 due to the speed of the steamboats (Cortés Lecture October 31). An additional great improvement was the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal linked the Hudson River to Lake Erie, whited opened a water route between the Northwest and New York City (Murrin p.g 295). The canal was built by engineers who had no experience (Cortés Lecture October 31). The opening of the Erie Canal stimulated land values along the route, and increased the demand for a wide arrange of trade. This success caused many states to

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