Question

What were the benefits and drawbacks to having a railroad run through your city in the 1800's?

Answer 1

Transportation is everything. Before the built the erie canal, Philadelphia was the largest and fastest growing city in america. Ten years after the canal, New York was the largest city.

Before you had railroads, you had to move goods by wagon, or river. Rivers were limited, and wagon were expensive. If a town was bypassed by a railroad, all trade dried up, often the town moved to the railroad.
Indianapolis was a sleepy town of 8,000 in 1848 when the first railroad arrived, grew to 160,000 by 1900. Just about every city had a similar growth.

On the other side of the coin, Arrow Rock Missouri had a population of 1,000 in 1860 because of Missouri River traffic. The rail road never came to Arrow Rock, and it population shrunk to 45.

Answer 2

*they built

Answer 3

This did help me, but I already saw it on Yahoo answers. Thanks, though. @moaraznthanu

Answer 4

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/railroad-maps/file.html

Answer 5

"Settlers of the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century developed large-scale dry-farming methods. These farming techniques required new farm equipment. As the equipment became available, more land came under cultivation between 1870 and 1900 than in the previous 250 years, bringing the American frontier to a close. Trains supported this agricultural boom. Railroads were necessary to transport the farms' harvests to the cities. At the same time, railroads also supported an industrial boom fueled by the exploitation of natural resources. Like farmers, mining and logging companies needed a way to transport their products to industrial centers and found their need met by trains.

After nearly 4,000 years of delivery by foot, horse, or boat, in the early 19th century the speed of mail delivery was greatly improved with the use of steamships and railroads. The first American railway post office was created in 1864. Where trains did not run, stagecoaches continued to deliver mail. Students can use this collection to study the impact of railroads on the postal service and its impact on the American lifestyle."

Answer 6

Thank you @moaraznthanu