Identifier: cu31924070687961 (find matches)
Title: The railroad builders; a chronicle of the welding of the states
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Moody, John, 1868-1958
Subjects: Railroads
Publisher: New Haven, Yale university press (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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t that his friends warned him that, in his oldage, he was wrecking the fruits of a hard andthrifty life. But Vanderbilt perceived what mostAmerican business men of the time failed to see,that a change had come over the railroad situationas a result of the Civil War. The time extending from 1860 to about 1875marks the second stage in the railroad activityof the United States. The characteristic of thisperiod is the development of the great trunk liaesand the construction of a transcontinental routeto the Pacific. The Civil War ended the supremacyof the Mississippi River as the great transporta-tion route of the West. The fact that this riverran through hostile territory — Vicksburg did notfall until July 4, 1863 — forced the farmers of theWest to find another outlet for their products. Bythis time the country from Chicago and St. Louiseastward to the Atlantic ports was fairly completelyconnected by raihoads. The necessities of war ledto great improvements in construction and equip-
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25 DEVELOPMENT OF RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES SCALE 1:13,600,000 0 2g_j0 75a0 200 ■300MHBS -,- Railroada iu the United States in 1840 (after CarhegU IjMa. Publ.215C) Railroad! in lie United States in 18*0 built sinee 1840 (afinr Camtgie Imut. PiM. 215C) -—,—™^-~ Railroads in the United States in 1880 built since I860 (after SirOmerM Statutkal Atlas of the V.S.,1S8S ), Bailroads in the United Stales in 1917 built since 1880. JULIUS B!EN L(TH N.N A CENTURY OP RAILROAD BUILDING 15 ment. Business which had hitherto gone South nowbegan to go East; New Orleans ceased to be thegreat industrial entrep6t of this region and gaveplace to St. Louis and Chicago. Yet, though this great change in traflBc routestook place in the course of the war, the actual con-solidations of the various small railroads into greattrunk lines did not begin until after peace had beenassured. The establishment of five great railroadsextending continuously from the Atlantic seaboardto Chicago and the West was

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