Read Works
Read Works: Steamboats and Railroads
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about transportation changes. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Other
Jefferson Historical Society: River to Rail
Although this site provides information on one town, Madison, IN; it is an absolute treasure trove of information on the development of the Midwest. Authors provide captivating historic photos and comprehensive narrative on the area...
Read Works
Read Works: People Who Built America: Vanderbilt
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage is about Cornelius Vanderbilt, who helped to build America by providing transportation via railroads and steamboats so that America could expand.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Transportation in America Before 1876
In 1800, the United States was made up of 16 states, all east of the Appalachians, and most people lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic. Oceans and rivers were the nations' highways, providing the only viable way to travel long...
Kidport
Kidport Reference Library: Transportation During the Civil War
Here are photographs and short descriptions of the horses, wagons, bridges, railroads, and steamboats used for transportation in the Civil War.
![Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: New Modes of Transport in 19th Century America [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: New Modes of Transport in 19th Century America [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Wake Up, America: New Modes of Transport in 19th Century America [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines how new technology and scientific advances of the nineteenth century changed America. Includes ideas for directing students through a...
Curated OER
Wikipedia: Natl Historic Landmarks in California: Eureka (Double Ended Ferry)
Side-wheel paddle steamboat; built in 1890 by the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company; preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Official plaque located in the San Francisco Maritime National...
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in Montana: Fort Benton
Established as a fur trading center in 1847, the fort prospered with the growth of steamboat traffic starting in 1859 and an 1862 gold strike, but declined with the advent of the railroad.