A Geographic Interpretation of Cincinnati, Ohiq^ 
9 
ing between Cincinnati and New Orleans carried immense quan- 
tities of grain and other farm products down the river, and brought 
back supplies for the grocery trade. The canals filled in the gaps 
in the transportation system. When the Upper Ohio was not 
navigable, goods were brought from New York by the Hudson 
River to Buffalo, then by the lake and the Ohio Canal to Portsmouth 
and on down the river. 
Highways. During this period several pikes were built. In 
1840^® fourteen macadamized roads proceeded directly from Cin- 
cinnati, connecting the city with all the important towns of Ohio. 
The Dayton and Springfield Road, by its connection with the 
National Road at Springfield, connected Cincinnati with Wheeling 
and Baltimore. Through Baltimore, Cincinnati had access to 
Virginia and the Carolinas. Thus, by means of the river, the 
roads and canals, Cincinnati had access to the north, east and 
south. 
Public improvements. In the decade ending with 1840, exten- 
sive public improvements were made in the city. The shore of 
the river was paved from low-water mark, and floating wharves 
were built. A good system of street-lighting and a well-equipped 
city waterworks were installed. 
Slaughtering and meat-packing center. Cincinnati was foremost 
in the slaughtering and meat-packing industry at this time, being 
known as ^Hhe pork shop of the Union. Sir Charles Lyell, a 
distinguished Englishman who visited Cincinnati about 1840, 
bestowed upon the rich merchants of the city the rather slighting 
title of ^Tork Aristocracy. 
From 1840 to 1850. In the next decade, Cincinnati made the 
most phenomenal growth of any city in the country. Her popu- 
lation inereased over 80,000, and the value of her manufacturing 
products increased almost three-fold. 1850 Cincinnati was 
the fifth city in the Union in population. Her manufacturing 
products, which at that time constituted more than one-half 
the business operations of the city, yielded a profit of $25,000,000 
yearly, almost one-half the whole amount obtained. The manu- 
factures at this time included almost every known variety of 
industry. Among the largest items were those of packing prod- 
Charles Cist, Cincinnati in 1851, 1851, p. 131. 
Sir Charles Lyell, Travels in North America, New York, 1845, vol. ii, p. 61. 
Ohio Statistics, 1880, p. 768. 
