Transportation of Goods and
Consumption
A Crash Course in the History of
Freight
American Attitudes Expressed in
Production, Transportation, and
Consumption of Goods
• Democracy: Widespread consumption
• “Inexhaustible” natural resources: in the
way goods are produced, transported,
used, and disposed of
Roads and Streets
• Rural roads were dirt paths in colonial era
• Plank roads were an improvement
• Streets in cities are used more for meeting
places and commerce than for transportation
Horse Drawn Vehicles
• Variety of vehicles for
hauling freight existed
• Horses regarded as
machines
Conestoga Wagon, circa 1840
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID# THF17493
Conestoga Wagon
1750 to early 20th century
• Developed in
Pennsylvania
• Pulled by teams of
horses or oxen
• Speed of about two
miles per hour
Conestoga Wagon, circa 1840
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID# THF17493
Canals
1820s-1830s
• Erie Canal completed
1826
• Increased pace of
settlement
• Connected states and
regions
• Created national
markets for goods to
benefit of producers
and consumers
Lithograph, "View of the Junction of the
Northern and Western Canals," 1825
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF68299
Steamboats
• By 1830, 200 operate
in West
• By 1855, 727 in West
• Trips are faster and
cheaper upriver travel
now possible
• Further widen national
markets
• Steam power also used
in production of goods
Wood Engraving, "View of the Public
Landing at Louisville, Kentucky," 1850-1855
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID# THF68301
Travel Time
In 1817, the trip from Cincinnati to New York took:
• 50 days to transport goods by keelboat and
wagon
• 28 days to go by steam boat down the
Mississippi and sailing packet up the coast
• 18 days by Erie Canal to the Hudson River, then
on the New York Harbor
In 1850, the trip from Cincinnati to New York took:
• 6-8 days including loading and unloading
Time = Money
• In 1816, the trip from Philadelphia to
Quebec:
– Took 100 hours
– Cost $47
• In 1860, the same trip by railroad:
– Took 31 hours
– Cost $19
Miles of Railroad Track in the U.S.
• 1840: 3,000
• 1850: 15,000
• 1860: 30,600
Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF18578
Railroads
• Provide cheap
transportation for heavy,
bulky items like coal,
wheat, and cattle
• Boost economy
• Encourage settlement
west of the Mississippi
River
• Amassed huge
economic power
Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858
• Transcontinental
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Railroad completed
ID#THF18578
1869
Railroads and the Civil War
• North had a
more developed
railroad system
than the South
• Gave it
economic and
military
advantages
Steam Locomotive "Sam Hill," 1858
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF18578
Railroads and Consumption of
FOOD!
• Refrigerated railroad
cars big business by
1890s
• Florida and California
can market produce
in other areas
• Changed Americans’
eating habits
Railroad Refrigerator Car, 1924, Used by
Fruit Growers Express
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF68309
Roads in the Later 19th and Early
20th Centuries
• With railroads dominating
long-distance travel,
highways are ignored and
fall into disrepair
• In 1890, half of city
streets are unpaved
• Roads are still needed:
goods need to be
transported from railroad
station to next destination
Horse Drawn Dray, circa 1890
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF69349
Trucks
• Small loads relatively
short distances
• Transport goods from
train station or dock to
their next destination
• Bad roads so little
long-distance trucking
Crane Unloading Cargo from Railroad
Cars into a Mack Model AC Dump
Truck. 1927
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF68323.
Improving Roads for Automobiles
in Early 20th Century
• 1916 Federal Aid
Road Act
• 1919 U.S. Army
expedition from
Washington, D.C. to
San Francisco
• 1921 Federal
Highway Act
Crane Unloading Cargo from Railroad
Cars into a Mack Model AC Dump
Truck. 1927
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF68323.
Air
• U.S. Air Mail Service
• 1926 Air Commerce
Act
• In 1950s, reduces
inventories, cuts
warehouse costs, and
simplifies handling
procedures for
industries including
floral and fashion
"Highways of the Sky," Advertisement Promoting
Commercial Air Travel on Ford Tri-Motor Airplanes,
1928
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF68349
Trucking After WWII
• Refrigerated trucks
• Diesel semi-trailers
• 1956 Federal Aid
Highway Act
• Intermodal containers
carried via truck, rail,
ship, or aircraft
Ford 707E C-Series Truck, Made 1974,
Used by Roadway Express
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
ID#THF67948