How Railroads Transformed American Agriculture
Discover how the development of railroads revolutionized American agriculture, connecting farms to markets and reshaping rural America forever.
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Railroads dramatically changed the face of agriculture and rural America as the nation expanded westward.
The idea of a “rail highway” was first envisioned by Colonel John Stevens in 1812, marking the beginning of a transportation revolution that would reshape how goods—and people—moved across the growing United States.
Before the advent of steam-powered locomotives, the earliest railroads relied on horse-drawn cars traveling along wooden or iron tracks. Even in those early days, the new technology offered a glimpse of the speed and efficiency that would soon redefine American industry and agriculture.
The first chartered railroad in the United States was the Granite Railway of Massachusetts, completed in 1826.
“rail highway”
Author summary: Railroads transformed American agriculture by connecting farms to markets.
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