LESSON
20
KEY
WORDS
mechanical engineer
air brakes
alternating current
transmission
aluminum
bauxite
oil refining
philanthropist
cement
KEY
PEOPLE
GeorgeWestinghouse
Charles Hall
John Rockefeller
John Ford
John Pitcairn
KEY
PLACES
Mauch Chunk
Switchback
Lehigh Canal
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
New Kensington
KEY
BUSINESSES
Pennsylvania Railroad
Reading Railroad
Alcoa
PPG Industries
R
AILROADS
G
ROWAS
N
EW
I
NDUSTRIES
E
MERGE
F
OCUS
Q
UESTIONS
1. How did the railroads contribute to Pennsylvania’s industrial growth?
2. What new industries emerged in Pennsylvania after the Civil War?
3. How did John D. Rockefeller contribute to Pennsylvania’s industrial growth?
Railroad Industry
The railroads in Pennsylvania played a crucial role in the industrial
growth of our state. The railroads carried the rawmaterials, such as iron
ore and lumber, needed by our growing industries. They also transported
products from factories to our growing cities. Coal was themost
important freight hauled by the railroads. In 1900, coal made up three-
fourths (75%) of the total tons of freight carried by the railroads. By
1900, 10,000miles of railroad tracks crisscrossed the state.
Rail use in Pennsylvania began in 1827 near the community of
Mauch Chunk
(now known as JimThorpe). The railroad was a unique
solution for transporting coal from themountains to the Lehigh Canal.
The original name was called theMauch Chunk Gravity Rail and wasmore
commonly known as the “
Switchback
.” Here is how it worked.
Coal and other materials were loaded into railroad cars which sat at a
higher elevation in themountains. These cars ran a curvy, downhill
course without any formof power. Speed was controlled by hand brakes.
The cars would stop inMauch Chunk near the
Lehigh Canal
. At this point,
the freight would be unloaded into canal boats and the empty cars would
be towed by mules back up themountain.
Someone came up with the idea to charge passengers for a pleasure
ride in the rail cars. Some historians think that the idea of the amusement
park’s roller coaster ride came fromhow the switchback worked.
TheMauchChunkGravity Railroad opened in 1827, and
brought coal from themines inSummit Hill down to the
awaiting boats on the Lehigh River inMauchChunk, now
known as JimThorpe. By the 1850s, you could pay 50 cents
to take a ride on the “Gravity Rail,” which some say
was the country’s first rollercoaster.
90
Understanding Pennsylvania
