Chapter 6: Infrastructure (Roads/Rivers/Canals)

The growth of the population and of the towns and cities is supported by infrastructure, some a natural part of the land and others supported by government or private investments. Among the former are the nation’s rivers which are traversed by canoes, barges, masted vessels, and eventually steam ships. Some flow north and south:

6.0 Major North-South Rivers

Others flow east and west, and play a crucial role in opening up the new states west of the Appalachian Mountain range. The longest eastern river, the Ohio, becomes the official line of demarcation in 1787 between the “free” states of the North and the “slave” states of the South.

6.1 Major East-West Rivers East Of The Mississippi

To the north, across eastern Canada, the St. Lawrence River – Great Lakes system, runs 2,340 miles from the Atlantic coast to the tip of Lake Superior. This route will prove especially providential to the fur trade, which is already booming in 1820.

Roads also play an important part in linking population centers and moving the nation ever westward. Most begin as Tribal hunting trails that are converted over time into major thoroughfares and then in the 1820’s upgraded with crushed stone popularized by Scottish engineer, John McAdam.

Most early roads run north to south, with the longest being the 975 mile King’s Highway connecting Boston to Charleston.

6.2 Important North-South Trails And Roads In The East

As America adds land to the west of the Alleghenies, frontier explorers

6.3 Important East-West Trails And Roads

The ancient practice of building canals also proves important in the westward movement of commerce in America. It begins slowly according to Britannica, with construction limited to only 161 miles as of 1800. Then it gains momentum, fueled by the remarkable financial success of N.Y. Governor DeWitt Clinton’s Erie Canal, a 363 mile engineering marvel linking Albany (and the Hudson River) to Buffalo (and Lake Erie).

6.4 Some Important Canals

Again according to Britannica, the “age of canals” comes to an end by around 1860 as steamships and railroads offer a faster and cheaper option for transporting commercial goods.