The United States — Land and Wate 



rs 



183 



From " Commercial Geography," by Cyrus C. Adams. D. Appleton & Co. 



On the basis of three feet as the minimum depth of navigability, the rivers of 

 the United States afford over 14,000 miles of navigation, measured in straight 

 lines, and much more following the sinuosities of the streams. 



cuse to the lake. Farther west the}' 

 came to the Genesee river which they 

 followed scores of miles to the south 

 making its valley, for many years, the 

 largest region of wheat in the country ; 

 so they pushed steadily westward open- 

 ing farms and planting towns along the 

 lakes and the rivers flowing into them. 

 The facts of nature pointed unmis- 

 takably to the appropriate sites for 

 towns. As the pioneers floated down 

 the Ohio they came to the great bend 

 of the river where it changes its course 

 from northwest to southwest. When 

 settlement spread away from the river 

 not all the freight floated down the 

 stream was destined for places farther 

 southwest. There were towns to the 

 northwest to be supplied and transship- 



ment of freight to land routes was neces- 

 sary ; at this place of transshipment the 

 city of Cincinnati arose. Still farther 

 down the Ohio the river was impeded 

 by rapids making another transshipment 

 of freight necessary and this fact re- 

 sulted in the city of Louisville. 



If we were to trace the history of our 

 entire material progress we should find 

 that the waterways of the eastern half of 

 the country have been the main factors 

 in determining the lines of development. 

 Those persons who were able to inter- 

 pret the meaning of the natural fact"? 

 presented for their study have reaped 

 large rewards. A young farmer started 

 from St. Paul one day on a little steamer 

 that was to be pushed as far up the 

 Minnesota River as possible. He was 



