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Pre-Twentieth Century Pathways of Transportation
Deer and The First Trails
The whitetail deer, along with other wildlife, were the first
trail makers of New England. When the glaciers receded and the
greenery appeared, deer came to New England from the south. They
spent most of their time grazing in the valleys near the rivers
and streams. New England became the home range for thousands
of deer (WBE, Vol.V, 1975, p. 74b).
The deer created trails to travel from favored watering holes
to fertile grazing grounds. The deer would travel single file
through the woodlands, usually moving in a north-south direction
following the natural terrain. Some paths lead across the mountain
ranges of New England. Where the terrain was steep and difficult
to maneuver, the deer naturally picked the easiest path. Hundreds
and thousands of deer used these paths, eventually creating well-worn
trails. Soon, Native Americans followed the deer into New England.
Native American Indians of New England
Native American Indians followed the deer into New England because
venison was one of their primary food sources. They also needed
deer hides for clothing and other necessary supplies. With the
abundant supply of deer, New England's Indian population grew
to be nearly 100,000 by the sixteenth century (Calloway, 1997,
p.2).
Many Indian tribes lived and traded in New England. The Norwottucks,
Nipmucks, and Pocumtucks lived in southern New England. Along
the northeast coast the Pennacooks, Pigwackets and Kennebecs
resided. The Penobscotts, Cowassucks and Sokokis were located
in the northern portion of New England. The Mahicans and Mohawks
were located in the western portion of New England. Trails were
created between tribal communities, prime hunting areas and water
sources. Although the majority of New England mountain ranges
and rivers run north to south, this did not stop the creation
of all east-west trails. The Indians of New England established
an extensive network of trails that provided the first European
settlers access to western portions of New England.
The Europeans Arrive in New England
Captain John Smith, an English explorer, discovered the northern
most portions of the United States in 1614. He named this area
New England and it was eventually divided into six states, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Six years after Captain Smith's first visit, settlers began to
claim New England as home (WBE, Vol. XIV, 1975, p. 172). Although
this was an exciting time for the adventurous puritans, it was
also a time of grave danger. Puritan settlers, armed with guns,
fought the Native Indians for land. The puritans also brought
diseases that poisoned and killed thousands of Indians.
The First Europeans battled with the Native Indians for land
near the water sources and soon began an inland migration. The
New England area was so volatile during this time that few roads
were built. The majority of settlers huddled together in stockade
villages in fear of the natives. In the eighteenth century, New
England's European population exploded forcing expansion into
the wilderness. Although roads were built to accommodate the
expansion, there was still a need to get supplies to the frontier
faster. Canals seemed to be a perfect solution to fill this need.
Canals in New England
The New England topography was challenging. There were few inland
routes and the majority of them were difficult to travel. Trade
problems arose when ships from Europe carrying supplies could
not get their cargo inland. As a result canals were built in
the early nineteenth century.
The first canal was built parallel to the Connecticut River in
1793. The canal extended from Northampton, Massachusetts south
to the New Haven seaport in Connecticut. The ease in which goods
could be transported via canal ignited a building surge. This
was the beginning of a new era. During the next thirty years,
New England would see four more canals built. The Middlesex-Union
Canal, completed in 1808, linked Boston, Massachusetts, to the
Merrimack River (WBE, Vol. III, 1975, p.132). The Farmington
Canal, completed in 1822 circa, connected the Long Island Sound
to Hartford, Connecticut. The Blackstone Valley Canal, completed
in 1815 circa, linked Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence,
Rhode Island. The Cumberland & Oxford Canal completed 1820
circa, linked Sebago Lake to Portland. With these four operating
canals, New England's interior became accessible and provided
a rich opportunity for trade.
However, canals had several drawbacks. Times of drought could
diminish water levels to a point were transportation was impossible.
Water in the canals would freeze in winter stopping operation
for months. Accessibility to inland areas was limited to where
existing waterways were already located. New England's topography
barred access to the west via canal because the Appalachian Mountain
range was too high (Vance, 1995, p. 14). At this time, the invention
of steam-powered locomotives was perfected. With this new form
of transportation, canals were no longer necessary. During the
1850's circa, the canals were abandoned as the railroads commandeered
the landscape.
Railroads in New England
New Englanders' enthusiasm for railroads spread like wildfire
after witnessing the power of the steam locomotive. In 1835,
New England completed three primary railroads: the Boston &
Lowell (25 miles long), the Boston & Worcester (40 miles
long), and the Boston & Providence (43 miles long). These
rail lines were the first common carriers built to transport
both freight and passengers. During the 1840's charters were
issued instructing all railroad companies to provide service
to every town (Karr, 1996, pp.33-34). New England created a unique
railroad system that became the first of its kind in the world.
With the success of the first few railroads, a second generation
of railroads developed in the 1850s-1860s. As depicted below,
this success had an invigorating impact on communities, as railroad
stations became centers of bustling activity. In 1850, Congress
offered the first federal land grants for the development of
railroads in the United States (WBE, Vol. XVI, 1975, p.114).
With this new legislation, abundant opportunities existed for
all. Within a few years, fourteen different railroad companies
came into existence competing for the same transportation corridors.
Competition was intense between the railroad companies. Often,
one company would lay tracks parallel to another company's railroad
tracks. This fierce competition created an excess of railroad
beds in New England (Karr, 1996, p.34). In 1887, the Interstate
Commerce Commission (ICC) was created to monitor railroad competition
(Vance, 1995, p.112). As a result of the mapping of railroad
corridors, the landscape became flooded with tracks.
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