Railroads were built in every county. By 1860,
Pennsylvania had 2,600miles of track, more than
any other state in the country. Railroads contributed
to the growth of our state’s industry. New railroad
companies allowed trade to increase around the
state. Cities such as
Erie
, Pittsburgh,
Altoona
,
Harrisburg, and
Scranton
grew rapidly because of rail
traffic. Railroads also linked the cities and farming
regions. The railroads were valuable in providing the
transportation needed to change Pennsylvania into a
powerful industrial state.
After the 1850s, canals and Conestoga wagons
could no longer compete with the railroad for
passengers and trade. It simply became cheaper and
faster to haul people and trade goods around our
state on the railroad system. Hence, the Conestoga
wagon era ended in 1850, and the fever for canal
construction ended soon after.
If a person’s lifespan was from1770 to 1850,
he or she would have seenmany changes in how
people and trade goods were transported. To travel
fromPhiladelphia to Pittsburgh, it took six to eight
weeks by wagon, four days by canal, and 28 hours
by railroad! All of thesemodes of transportation
contributed hugely to our shift froman agricultural
colony to an industrial state.
L
ET
’
S
R
EVIEW
1. What two inventions began to replace the canals and Conestoga wagons as amore
efficient means of moving people and trade goods?
2. How did Robert Fulton contribute to the industrial development of Pennsylvania?
3. Describe howMatthias Baldwin contributed to the industrial growth of Pennsylvania.
4. What inventionmade the steamengine safer on a locomotive?
5. What two natural resources in our state contributed to the growth of railroads?
6. Describe the way that capital (money) was obtained for building our canal system
versus building our railway system.
This complex and
colorful map shows
themany routes for
canals and railroads
in Pennsylvania. In
addition, themap
shows distances
fromplace to place.
SteamEngine Fever, Railroads, and Coal
71
