Westward Bound Chapter 10, Lesson 2

Moving West The first census (official population count done every 10 years) in the United States was conducted in 1790 revealing that we had a population near 4 million. Most were east of the Appalachian Mountains and within 100 miles of the Atlantic Coast. This begins to change as people move west. In 1811, A Pennsylvania resident reported seeing 236 wagons on the road to Pittsburgh. A man in Newburgh, New York, saw as many as 60 wagons going through in a single day. In 1820 (30 years since the first census) the population of the U.S. more than doubled to 10 million, with 2 million living west of the Appalachian Mountains. Traveling west from New York to Buffalo was a 363 mile trip that usually took 3 weeks and was not easy with many people facing hardships and dangers along the way.

Roads and Turnpikes Good roads were needed for shipping inland. Many private companies built turnpikes (toll roads) which used its fees to pay for construction. Many roads had a base of crushed stone and others in muddy areas had logs lined up side by side like corduroys (known as corduroy roads). Ohio joined the Union in 1803, and had asked the federal government to construct a road to connect it with the east. In 1806, Congress approved funds for a National Road to the west and five years later agreed on the route. Construction stopped on the route between Maryland and Virginia due to the War of 1812 and would not open until 1818. Later on, it reached Ohio and continued to Vandalia, Illinois. Congress say this road mostly as a military necessity, but did not undertake any other road building projects.

River Travel River travel had some advantages over wagon and horse travel. Much more comfortable over bumpy roads and pioneers could load everything on river barges if they were going downstream in the direction of the current. River travel also had its problems. Most only flowed in a north-south direction, not east to west. Traveling upstream using barges was extremely difficult and slow. In the 1780s and 1790s saw the use of steam engines to power boats in quiet waters. James Rumsey – equipped a small boat on the Potomac River with a steam engine. John Fitch – built a steamboat that navigated the Delaware River. Neither of these boats were strong enough to stand up against strong currents and winds on large rivers and open waters.

River Travel Robert Livingston (a political and business leader; 1802) – hired Robert Fulton to develop a steamboat with a powerful engine. Livingston wanted a steamboat to carry cargo and passengers up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany. In 1807, Fulton had his steamboat, the Clermont, ready. It was about 140-feet long and 14-feet wide with enough room to stroll on deck and at night passengers could relax in a sleeping compartment below deck. It was super noisy, but provided a fairly smooth ride. He used a newly designed engine and his steamboat made a 150 mile trip from New York to Albany in 32 hours when using just sails, the trip would have taken 4 days (96 Hours) Steamboats ushered in a new age in river travel by improving the transfer of goods and people along major inland rivers by making it cheaper and faster. They also contributed to growth of river cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis.

Canals Steamboats improved transportation but were limited to the routes provided by rivers traveling north and south. Steamboats could not tie the west and the east together. In New York, business and government officials led by De Witt came up with a plan to link New York City with the Great Lakes. The plan was to build a canal (artificial waterway) connecting Albany on the Hudson with Buffalo on Lake Eerie.

Building the Eerie Canal Eerie Canal (Opened October 26, 1825) – 2 year project constructing a canal 363-miles long connecting the Hudson River with Lake Eerie. The canal had a system of locks (separate compartments where water levels may rise or fall) in order for Ships to reach higher or lower areas. Clinton travels on a barge from Buffalo to Albany taking the Eerie Canal to Hudson arriving at New York City and then traveling up to Albany by the Hudson River. The canal did not allow for steamboats because it could damage the embankments along the canal. T he boats were pulled by a two-horse team or two-mule team pulling a 100-ton barge about 24 miles in one day. During the 1840s, the barges were reinforced to accommodate steam tugboats pulling barges.

Building the Eerie Canal The construction of the Eerie Canal led to an explosion of canal constructions. By 1850, the U.S. had more than 3,600 miles of canals. Made shipping of goods cheap bringing prosperity to the towns located near the canals. Most importantly, they were also able to Unite the growing country.

Western Settlement Americans moved west in huge waves. The first wave began before the 1790s and led to the admission of four new states between 1791 and 1803 (Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.) The second wave of westward growth began in 1816 and 1821 adding five new states to the nation (Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, and Missouri) The addition of these new states showed how much growth had occurred during westward expansion. Pioneer families settled near rivers to ship crops to markets. Canals also allowed for people to live further away from rivers. Western families often gathered together for social events. Men took part in sports like wrestling. Women met for quilting and sewing parties. Both participated in cornhusking (gathering where farm families shared the work of stripping the husk from ears of corn.)

Western Settlement Life in the west was not as easy as in the east, but they did not come to be pampered. They sought to make a new life for their families. Americas population would continue to spread west for many years.