168 A. L. Bishop — The State Works of Pennsylvania. 



built Avere designed to connect the Great Lakes with the Ohio and the 

 Mississippi rivers. The minor works were either branches of the 

 main lines, or short ones to provide outlets for the trade of the 

 interior of the states. Before entering upon a discussion of the 

 movement in Pennsylvania, an examination of the causes giving 

 rise at this particular time to the general activity of the eastern and 

 western states in transportation improvements demands attention. 



In spite of the large immigration into the West before 1815, its 

 economic importance until then was comparatively inconsiderable. 

 This was due largely to the fact that the conditions governing the 

 prosperity of newly-settled regions were absent.* Isolated from the 

 markets of the eastern seaboard, the western farmers were obliged 

 to send most of their surplus produce down the Mississippi. The 

 route was long and dangerous, and there was indeed little demand 

 for their commodities in the sparsely settled districts along the 

 loAver course of the river. Hence most of their exports had to be 

 sent to market around by sea to the Atlantic cities or to* foreign 

 countries. The value of these shipments was small.f Local manu- 

 factories existed turning out such articles as were necessary for 

 the simple economy of the western settlements. Yet even under 

 these conditions, here and there in the Atlantic states, especially in 

 the cities along the coast, groups of far-seeing citizens could be 

 found who believed that the West had a -bright future. Many had 

 abundant faith in its possibilities. But its trade was relatively too 

 unimportant, as yet, to attract the attention of the greater propor- 

 tion of the population. 



Soon after the war of 1812, however, two events occurred Avhich 

 profoundly affected the development of the West. The introduction 

 of the steamboat and, by 1817, its common use upon the Mississippi 

 and its tributaries, brought the West into easy communication with 

 the seaboard. The result was an immediate increase of trade. $ 



* An excellent discussion of these influences, their absence in the West 

 before 1815, and the circumstances giving rise t6 the economic importance 

 of the West after that date is given by Prof. G. S. Callender in the Q. J. Ec, 

 xvii (1902-03), pp. 116-137. 



f Roads, of course, led over the mountains to the eastern seaboard, but 

 very few articles would pay for their conveyance there by land. Live stock, 

 however, was frequently driven to the eastern market. 



± "This commerce is already [1818] very great and fast augmenting. As 

 an example of the constant and increasing movement on the Mississippi and 



