History of American Agriculture and Transportation

You are here:

Inventors A History of American Agriculture 1776-1990
Transportation

Return To History of Farming

16th-18th Centuries	18th century Transportation by water, on trails, or through wilderness
1776-99	1794 Lancaster Turnpike opened, first successful toll road
1800	1800-30 The era of turnpike building (toll roads) improved communication and commerce between settlements 1807 Robert Fulton demonstrated practicability of steamboats
1810	1815-20 Steamboats became important in western trade
1820	1825 Erie Canal finished 1825-40 Era of canal building
1830	1830 Peter Cooper's railroad steam engine, the Tom Thumb, ran 13 miles 1830's Beginning of railroad era
1840	1840 3,000 miles of railroad track had been constructed 1845-57 Plank road movement
1850	1850's Major railroad trunk lines from eastern cities crossed the Appalachian Mountains 1850's Steam and clipper ships improved overseas transportation
1860	1860 30,000 miles of railroad track had been laid 1869 Illinois passed first designated "Granger" law regulating railroads 1869 Union Pacific, first transcontinental railroad, completed
1870	1870's Refrigerator railroad cars introduced, increasing national markets for fruits and vegetables
1880	1880 160,506 miles of railroad in operation 1887 Interstate Commerce Act
1890	1893-1905 Period of railroad consolidation
1900	1909 The Wrights demonstrated the airplane
1910	1910-25 Period of road building accompanied increased use of automobiles 1916 Railroad network peaks at 254,000 miles 1916 Rural Post Roads Act began regular Federal subsidies to road building 1917-20 Federal Government operates railroads during war emergency
1920	1920's Truckers began to capture trade in perishables and dairy products 1921 Federal Government gave more aid for farm-to-market roads 1925 Hoch-Smith Resolution required the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to consider agricultural conditions in making railroad rates
1930	1930's Farm-to-market roads emphasized in Federal roadbuilding 1935 Motor Carrier Act brought trucking under ICC regulation
1940	1942 Office of Defence Transportation established to coordinate wartime transport needs
1950	1950's Trucks and barges competed successfully for agricultural products as railroad rates rose 1956 Interstate Highway Act
1960	1960's Financial condition of northeastern railroads deteriorated; rail abandonments accelerated 1960's Agricultural shipments by all-cargo planes increased, especially shipments of strawberries and cut flowers
1970	1972-74 Russian grain sale caused massive tieups in rail system
1980-90	1980 Railroad and trucking industries were deregulated