precivilwarindustry

The pre-civil war industry consisted of many events that happened in Pennsylvania. One was the building of the Conestoga wagons. Also, geographical features of Pennsylvania are also featured. Another was the creation of the Pennsylvania turnpike. Also, the canal system and the trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh using the Penn Main Line Charter. Another is the steamboat and the steam locomotive. Finally oil is the last industry. All of these events happened between the years 1750 and 1857. Some geographical features of Pennsylvania at this time were dirt roads. The dirt roads made it hard to pull wagons along. The roads were very rough. Also the Allegheny Mountains are features of Pennsylvania. Because the Allegheny Mountains have rough land, it is very hard for traveling over top of them. The Allegheny River, the Susquehanna River, the Delaware River, and the Ohio River are many rivers found around this area. Often used in 1750-1850, the Conestoga wagon is a large, covered wagon with broad wheels and an arched canvas top. They were first founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvanian Dutch built the first Conestoga wagon, in order to transport thousands of settlers to the west along with supplies. The wagons were strong enough to carry supplies and trade good from place to place. Because these wagons carried so much, they were heavy, often pulled by six to eight horses per wagon. An average wagon could haul between three and five tons. In fact, the largest wagon pulled was 7 tons. Conestoga wagons often got confused with prairie schooners, which look alike. Ferryboats were used to transport Conestoga wagons over rivers and bodies of water. An average cost for a Conestoga Wagon was about $250. Back in those times, that was quite a lot of money. The length of time to build one was about two months. Every day, the average distance to travel was about 12-15 miles. Back in those times, Conestoga wagons were very helpful. The Pennsylvania turnpike was established in the 1800’s. Originally, it was a stone road stretched from Philadelphia to Lancaster. A toll was required by the travelers to cover the cost of the road. These stops where people paid their tolls were called a tollgate. This included animals, if farmers had animals traveling with them; they were required to pay for them as well. By 1832, the turnpike had over 3000 miles of road that was considered to be the turnpike The canal system was thought to be a faster traveling route. It was a good trade route. Canals could transport cattle and/or people. In 1828 through 1858, many people in Pennsylvania had “canal fever”. Pennsylvania spent over $100,000,000 for the canal. There are more miles in the canal than in any other state. Because of it being so big and expensive, they nearly went bankrupt. They recovered from the near bankruptcy by trade, goods, and people. Between the years 1835 and 1857, people traveled on Penn Main Line Charter. It wasn’t totally a waterway. In two sections totaling 118 miles, it was impossible to build a canal. Instead, railroads were built. Teams of horses pulled the flatcars. Locomotives were later used to perform the work instead of the horses. The steam locomotive was the king of trade. It was a fast way of moving freight and passengers. It was also a cheap way to move freight and passengers. Wooden rails were used for the wagons to run on. Horses pulled wagons over the rails because the engines were too heavy for the wooden rails. Later, iron replaced the wooden rails. In the 1830’s steam engine locomotives were introduced. Matthias Baldwin built the first steam train in Pennsylvania. The hearth stove was a safer meaning for creating the steam. The first experimenter with steamboats was John Finch. Steamboat’s engine got improved by James Watt in 1769. The first experimental steamboats took place between 1780 and 1790. The very first successful steamboat was created by Robert Fulton in 1807. This steamboat had a paddlewheel. Unfortunately, the steamboat couldn’t go in the Susquehanna River due to the too shallow of the water in the river. The steamboat’s success caused the trade to Mississippi. In the 1840’s Samuel Kier found rock oil. Humans bottled it and sold it as medication to make them feel better. In later days, they discovered it could be refined. Later, it was made into fine fuel for lamps. In 1850, Samuel Kier built the first oil refinery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the very first refinery in the nation. This refinery produced kerosene. In 1859, the problem to get petroleum out of the ground in Pennsylvania was solved. This problem was solved by Edwin Drake. He created an oil well to do so. On Saturday August 27, 1859 they stopped drilling and on this day, oil was discovered. They produced around 400 barrels a day. In pre-civil war industry, a lot of events took place. Like explaining the geographical features of Pennsylvania at that time, explaining the building of the Conestoga Wagons and everything involved with that, the Pennsylvania turnpike and how tolls were taken there, the traveling route called the canal system, how people traveled on the Penn Main Line Charter, how the steam locomotives were the kings of trade, the first steamboats, and how oil was founded.