The Impact of the Railroads in the Western U.S.
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This paper will discuss the impact of the railroads on the development of cities and towns in the western United States. During the last four decades of the nineteenth century, rapid development in the railroad industry facilitated the settlement and growth of America's western territories. In addition, the coming of the railroads sped up the process of development in the major urban centers of the West, such as Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Albuquerque and Salt Lake City. In this regard, it has been noted that "the great railroads made large towns out of small ones, helped transform villages into cities, transported immigrant settlers, and moved products nationwide, into and from factories engaged in mass production, thereby creating the basis for a national economic market" (Weinstein & Gatell, 1981, p. 576). During the early part of the nineteenth century, many American citizens began moving westward in search of new lands to settle, cultivate and raise livestock on. In 1849, the discovery of gold in California created a truly urgent desire on the part of many Easterners to seek their fortunes in the West. However, the journey to the West was a long, hard and dangerous one, complicated by such factors as the Rocky Mountains and hostile Plains Indians. Thus, with the discovery of gold in the West, "suddenly, unexpectedly, the nation found itself possessed of a continent without a means of transportation or communication to conn
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rged inflated rates in non-competitive territory (Weinstein & Gatell, 1981, p. 575). This made life difficult for the minority of passengers who required transportation into these less accessible regions. In addition, the practice greatly discouraged the average passenger from seeking a fare into such areas when there were already opportunities of one sort or another to be found in the major population centers of the West. Therefore, the isolated towns and regions experienced a great deal less development and growth than the previously established urban centers of the West coast. Nevertheless, it has been noted that, despite widespread corruption and unfair practices, the railroads had a profound impact on the settlement and development of the West, remaining throughout the later part of the nineteenth century "crucial in opening up large areas of the United States for agriculture, mining, and cattle development by new settlers" (Weinstein & Gatell, 1981, p. 575).
The railroads contributed positively to the development of cities and towns in the western United States in a variety of ways. For example, advertisements placed by the railroad companies attracted many people in the East to the idea of seeking a better life in th
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Approximate Word count = 2233
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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