Lesson: Transportation of Goods and Consumption

Conestoga wagons first appeared in Pennsylvania's Conestoga River valley about 1750. Designed for freight, the Conestoga's curved body tended to keep the load in the center, rather than shifting it toward the rear. The Conestoga's popularity peaked in the first half of the 19th century -- before railroads replaced it for hauling agricultural products and manufactured goods.

Canals opened new lands to settlement and commerce in the first half of the 19th century. New York's Erie Canal, completed in 1825, connected Albany with Buffalo. It also joined with other canals to make more areas of the state accessible. This print shows the junction of the "Northern" (Champlain) and the "Western" (Erie) canals.

By the 1850s, Louisville, Kentucky, was the nation's tenth largest city and the largest Ohio River port between Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Manually operated flatboats and steam-powered riverboats carried freight and passengers up and down the river. Louisville was also the largest slave trading center in the country, with between 2,500 and 4,000 enslaved people passing through each year.

Simple two-wheeled drays like this were the most common means of moving goods between docks, railroad stations, and businesses in pre-automotive American cities. This dray was made by Studebaker of South Bend, Indiana, once the nation's largest maker of horse-drawn vehicles. Studebaker entered the automobile business in 1902 and became a major builder before ending motor vehicle production in 1966.

Roadway Express, Inc. operated this Ford C-series truck in Lexington, Kentucky. The truck's functionality proved useful to the company's local pickup and delivery service. Designated unit 23704, it was a workhorse for the company for sixteen years, before being retired to The Henry Ford.

This 1858 Rogers steam locomotive is typical of those used in the United States in the second half of the 19th century. Its flexible wheel arrangement, high power output, and light weight were well suited to the tight curves, steep grades, and hastily constructed track that characterized American railroads. This locomotive struck an agreeable balance between practicality, safety, and economy.

Mack AC trucks were introduced in 1916 and were continuously manufactured through 1939. During that time span, AC trucks earned a sterling reputation for their reliability and durability. Aside from the civilian tasks that these trucks accomplished, the Mack AC gained international fame for its military service in World War I -- along with the nickname "Bulldog," coined by British engineers.

As the United States expanded in the twentieth century, air travel became an efficient alternative for the transportation of goods, services, and people. This advertisement compares the early days of commercial aviation to the early days of transcontinental rail travel, and predicts that air travel will become hugely popular -- especially on the Ford Tri-Motor airplane.