Technology's Impact On Western Expansion

Technology may not seem like it made a huge impact on Western Expansion, but it in fact did. Without the creation and development of railroads, canals and bridges, expansion would have progressed a lot slower and not nearly as efficiently. Railroads allowed farmers to trade crops into the valley and passed the Appalachian’s which were previously off limits due to distance and terrain. Canals are water pathways connecting two bodies of water through a large piece of land. They allowed trade ships to have a shortcut for easier travel on trade voyages. Bridges did the exact opposite of canals, allowing land travel over two bodies of water. This gave traders the opportunity to cross over lakes and large bodies of water, instead of taking the extra

Railroads enabled mass income for farmers and allowed traders to gain a larger amount of trading spots and ports for increased money. Railroads have come a long way since they were first created. The first railroads ran using coal and were extremely slow compared to today’s standards, however trains did not tire as horses did and could haul more goods at a very steady pace to make transport quicker and cheaper. These railroads were more effective than horse drawn carriages also in how they were cost effective and they ran year round unlike horses who couldn't be worked during winters for health and physical reasons (Oregon Railroads, 2009). According to Oregon Railroads, late 1800’s, predictions held true and, “the railroad triggered a 250% jump in wheat production from 1870 to 1877…. Railroads carried new and expensive machinery from factories in the East and Midwest to Oregon farmers who in turn became more specialized and profit oriented.” Railroads boosted trade and production by massive numbers. Without railroads, trade would not have been as advanced and farmers would have no way to deliver crops in a quick manner that would provide fresh produce to consumers.
One major railroad that is talked about today is the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad. During the building of this railroad, many complications occurred, but no matter the dilemma, they always approached and attempted to fix it, as said in Richmond

These man-made creations were not easy to make as they had to be well thought out and required a lot of planning and a lot of materials in order to ensure that they would not cause flooding or collapse on themselves. While there were opposers to the creation of these new advances, their main worry was the economical aspect as it cost money before they could make money (The Pennsylvania Improvement Society, 1964). Those in favor far outnumbered those opposed and therefore the projects continued and people eventually came to appreciate the risk taken by the inventors and creators. Today we see the benefits of these canals even more as we use them for hydroelectricity and travel as our boats are much more advanced. In the 1800s, they had no way of knowing where their idea would go but it turned out to be a beneficial risk to take that has benefited society ever