GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-L Archives

Archiver > GERMAN-BOHEMIAN > 1998-09 > 0906608810


From: <>
Subject: Re: Means of travel
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 23:46:50 EDT


There is considerable message traffic about the means of travel of our
immigrants.
This is my input. Perhaps there is an expert somewhere who will add
comments to the subject.
You must consider the time era and location when discussing this topic.
In Europe---After about 1850 rail transportation was available.
Before about 1850 wagons might have been used by your
ancestors.
Wagons were used primarily to move raw materials or products
from the coastal ports inland to central Europe
and the empty wagons carried immigrant travelers back to
the ports. As the rail system developed,
wagons were replaced by rail. The river transport systems
were not developed, or if they were, high tariffs
were charged in order to pay for the locks which had to be
built to get over the shallow rocky areas.
` Also, most immigrant travelers were poor so they may have
walked and worked their way to the port.
In the US---in the north, New York and Boston
The Erie Canal was completed about 1825 and was the major way
of transport. To get to the far west of Chicago
and Milwaukee from the Buffalo NY area ( end of the Erie
Canal) combination of great lakes ships
and a rail system across Michigan was used. Rail transport
was available around 1846, but this was
difficult and the runs were comparatively short,
resulting in many train changes. Train companies existed
within only a certian state. I do not belive that there were
interstate companies until _____? ( some later year). Time
schedules were more accurate for departure times than for
arrival times.
---From the Mid and south Atlantic ports
Someone else should write about these ports, because I do not
know.
I am particuarily interested in what transportation means
was used coming out of Baltimore in 1856 to
Chicago.

Glenn

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

This thread: