Transportation of Goods and Consumption

A Crash Course in the History of Freight

American Attitudes Expressed in Production, Transportation, and

Consumption of Goods • Democracy: Widespread consumption

• “Inexhaustible” natural resources: in the way goods are produced, transported, used, and disposed of

Roads and Streets

• Rural roads were dirt paths in colonial era• Plank roads were an improvement • Streets in cities are used more for meeting

places and commerce than for transportation

Horse Drawn Vehicles

• Variety of vehicles for hauling freight existed

• Horses regarded as machines

Conestoga Wagon, circa 1840 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID# THF17493

Conestoga Wagon1750 to early 20th century

• Developed in Pennsylvania

• Pulled by teams of horses or oxen

• Speed of about two miles per hour

Conestoga Wagon, circa 1840 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID# THF17493

Canals1820s-1830s

• Erie Canal completed 1826

• Increased pace of settlement

• Connected states and regions

• Created national markets for goods to benefit of producers and consumers Lithograph, "View of the Junction of the

Northern and Western Canals," 1825 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF68299

Steamboats

• By 1830, 200 operate in West

• By 1855, 727 in West• Trips are faster and

cheaper upriver travel now possible

• Further widen national markets

• Steam power also used in production of goods

Wood Engraving, "View of the Public Landing at Louisville, Kentucky," 1850-1855

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. ID# THF68301

Travel TimeIn 1817, the trip from Cincinnati to New York took:• 50 days to transport goods by keelboat and

wagon• 28 days to go by steam boat down the

Mississippi and sailing packet up the coast• 18 days by Erie Canal to the Hudson River, then

on the New York Harbor

In 1850, the trip from Cincinnati to New York took:• 6-8 days including loading and unloading

Time = Money• In 1816, the trip from Philadelphia to

Quebec: – Took 100 hours – Cost $47

• In 1860, the same trip by railroad: – Took 31 hours – Cost $19

Miles of Railroad Track in the U.S.

• 1840: 3,000• 1850: 15,000• 1860: 30,600

Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF18578

Railroads

• Provide cheap transportation for heavy, bulky items like coal, wheat, and cattle

• Boost economy• Encourage settlement

west of the Mississippi River

• Amassed huge economic power

• Transcontinental Railroad completed 1869

Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF18578

Railroads and the Civil War

• North had a more developed railroad system than the South

• Gave it economic and military advantages

Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF18578

Railroads and Consumption of FOOD!

• Refrigerated railroad cars big business by 1890s

• Florida and California can market produce in other areas

• Changed Americans’ eating habits

Railroad Refrigerator Car, 1924, Used by Fruit Growers Express

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. ID#THF68309

Roads in the Later 19th and Early 20th Centuries

• With railroads dominating long-distance travel, highways are ignored and fall into disrepair

• In 1890, half of city streets are unpaved

• Roads are still needed: goods need to be transported from railroad station to next destination

Horse Drawn Dray, circa 1890 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF69349

Trucks

• Small loads relatively short distances

• Transport goods from train station or dock to their next destination

• Bad roads so little long-distance trucking

Crane Unloading Cargo from Railroad Cars into a Mack Model AC Dump

Truck. 1927 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF68323.

Improving Roads for Automobilesin Early 20th Century

• 1916 Federal Aid Road Act

• 1919 U.S. Army expedition from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco

• 1921 Federal Highway Act

Crane Unloading Cargo from Railroad Cars into a Mack Model AC Dump

Truck. 1927 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF68323.

Air• U.S. Air Mail Service • 1926 Air Commerce

Act• In 1950s, reduces

inventories, cuts warehouse costs, and simplifies handling procedures for industries including floral and fashion

"Highways of the Sky," Advertisement Promoting Commercial Air Travel on Ford Tri-Motor Airplanes,

1928 From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

ID#THF68349

Trucking After WWII

• Refrigerated trucks• Diesel semi-trailers• 1956 Federal Aid

Highway Act• Intermodal containers

carried via truck, rail, ship, or aircraft

Ford 707E C-Series Truck, Made 1974, Used by Roadway Express

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.ID#THF67948