Railroads impact on WashingtonAnd the NorthwestAndrew Cesal
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Social Affect of Railroads The Northern Pacific Railroad and the
Great Northern railroads help to create small towns called railroad
camps. These camps made social life boom. Thomas Burke was an
attorney for the Great Northern Railroad in the 1890s and one of
the first lawyers to establish railroads, harbors and utilities for
the Puget Sound area. The first proposal of a national
transcontinental railroad was thought of in 1845. With the
development of the transcontinental railroad new workers were
imported from China to lay track and mine coal. After years of
respect towards the Chinese (workers), Americans started to resent
them because of economic downfalls and eventually rioted in the
1880s across the cities of Tacoma and Seattle. After these riots
several laws were created across the West coast to keep control
over immigration. Initially, Washington was a state that welcomed
freed men and runaway slaves. Alongside the Chinese, African
Americans also helped to build railroads and mine. The state would
later begin to ban African Americans due to new labor movements.
With the recent creation of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the
Great Northern Railroads, more and more small towns began
construction in Washington. With these small towns brought more
people, like the Chinese and African American worker. During
Washingtons 1889 constitutional convention, the new railroads were
a serious discussion: delegates worried about the monopoly power
they had. The delegates forbid their government from subsidizing
railroads. With the help of woman voters, Teddy Roosevelt would
become President, which in turn would lead to regulations on
railroads.
Railroads Affect History
The affects the railroad had on Washington alone were great.
Whole towns were created due in part to the railroads. Spokane, for
example, was a central hub for Railroads on their way farther West.
The city of Shoreline boomed with the introduction of railroads.
The Great Northern Railroad, running from Seattle to Minnesota,
opened up a direct link from Shoreline to Seattle after the portion
through shoreline was created in 1891. The Interurban, a small
electric railway between Everett and Tacoma created in 1910, was
the prime mode of transportation for Shoreline residents. Some
areas depended on the railroads: their location, creation, and fate
were solely based on railroads, one these areas are Adams County.
Cities like Twin Well, Providence, Lind, Paha, Ritzville, Keystone,
Washtucna, Hooper, Benge, and Lantz were all created to occupy
railroad workers. Businesses like churches, schools, hotels, post
offices, etc. were created along with the towns. In 1907 the town
of Othello was created as a railway division for the Chicago,
Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroads. Trains would later come
through Othello to re-ice their cars. Many cities in the state of
Washington were created just to occupy railroad travelers, workers,
and trains themselves. Without the creation of railroads such as
the Great Northern and Northern Pacific, Washington would cease to
exist today, this State depended on them that much for social
growth.
Affect of Railroads on Politics The Political aspects that the
railroads brought about were often dramatic.
The name of Gilman (Squak) Issaquah had to undergo a name change
because the USPS didnt want to get it confused with Gilmer, so the
state legislature tried to change the town name to Olney, but the
Gilman Town Council petitioned the legislature, keeping the name.
In 1889 (before the name change) they named the town Gilman, after
Daniel Hunt Gilman a promoter of the railroads. George F. Cotterill
(1865-1958), Seattles mayor between 1912-1914, was brought to the
northwest to work on the Northern Pacific Railroad at the age of
18. The town of Slaughter had a population of 25 in 1886 and mail
was delivered twice a week. The next year, there was a population
over 300 due to railroads. The name was changed to Auburn after a
petition in 1893. John J. McGilvra, a friend of Abraham Lincoln,
was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Washington Territory. One of
his main jobs was to secure rail services for the city of Seattle.
James J. Hill (completed great northern railway) had his trusts
broken up by National Reformers in 1904. September 5, 1911, voters
create the port of Seattle and put the harbor under public
management and ownership. After hearing news that the terminus for
the NP railroad would be in Tacoma, Seattleites responded by
attempting to make their own railroad, the SWW. SWW would
eventually fail and was taken over by the NP railroad.
Railroads Affect Washington Economy Railroads were the base of
Washingtons economy before the invention of cars. Railroads made a
supply route for fish, lumber, and coal out of Washington to be
sold around the U.S. Any town that had a railroad through it had
its economy based on the railroad itself. With the railroad, towns
were built, then saloons, hotels, restaurants and other
facilities.
The economy of Washington was mostly because of railroads and
partly due to trading with Asia. The town of starbuck was created
because of the railroad. Spokanes whole economy was based around
the railroads, for instance, the davenport hotel was built to
accommodate railroaders. Thanks to railroads, lumber and fish from
Washington could be transported throughout the U.S for money.
Washingtons economy, like the rest of the nation, boomed with
railroad creation. The railroads had to buy all their tracks,
spikes and supplies like shovels, picks and other items. With
several railroads being built across the country, the U.S. economy
jumped. 1879- Travelers start to settle near Pasco, WA. Pasco was a
leader in Agricultural products and with the introduction of
railroads; they could export more to the rest of the country.
Snohomishs economy was dominated by logging, lumbering, and
agriculture in the 1920s, but, trains helped to create that town
and give people to help flourish the economy. In the small town of
Metaline Falls, cement was a big to the economy. The Leigh Portland
cement company would haul 12-15 cars of cement every day. Metaline
relied on the railroad to transport its cement, for cement was its
central economy.
The Northwests main job for the Nation was to produce and export
raw materials, leaving the northwest subservient. Since the
Northwest was colonial by political standards in the late 1800s to
early 1900s, it wasnt considered as much as other states in the
national capital. Because of its colonial state, the northwest
didnt get much help from the government. Between 1890-1945, the
northwest tried to relieve itself from its subservience. To do
this, the Northwest would have to colonize as an extractive
hinterland. The Northwest would see great economic improvements
with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, for instance,
the northwest could get trade generated by Alaskan gold rushes.
Dams
offered another means of improving the northwests economy;
railroads would bring the necessary materials for the construction
of these dams. In Washingtons constitution it clearly expresses the
concerns farmers had towards the power of railroads, although
railroads did help to boost the Northwests economy. The main
economy of Oregon was based around lumber, with the introduction of
a railroad, the lumber could be shipped faster, with more on each
load. Short railroads were built specifically for getting lumber
and bringing it back, a short line railroad. Like Washington, many
Oregon cities were formed as a result of the railroad and their
economy increased. As for the social aspect of railroads, it
brought about new employers, employees and communities. Across the
northwest whole towns and cities were created, bringing new
business, increasing old business, and a rise in population.
A negative effect the railroads had on the northwests social
status was the fact that it many men were lost in the creation of
it. The job of working on railroads was very dangerous. The
Portland & Seattle Railway was finished in 1906 and never
actually went to Seattle. The Transcontinental would bring in many
political leaders of the northwest. Railroads brought the value of
land up in the Northwest and across the Nation.
RAILROADS IN OPERATION BEFORE JAN. 1, 1848 OHIO Sandusky,
Mansfield, and Newark, Sandusky to Mansfield Mad River and Lake
Erie, Sandusky to Bellefontaine Little Miami, Cincinnati to
Springfield Erie and Kalamazoo, Toledo to Adrian INDIANA
56 102 84 33
Madison and Indianapolis, Madison to Indianapolis ILLINOIS
Northern Cross, Meredosia to Springfield MICHIGAN Michigan
Southern, Monroe to Hillsdale Michigan Southern, Junction to
Tecumseh Michigan Central, Detroit to Kalamazoo Detroit and
Milwaukee, Detroit to Pontiac Total mileage, Jan 1, 1848
86 55 66 10 143 25 660
This table shows how much the northwest was dependent on
railroads, in total, there was 660 miles of railroads winding
through northwest. With the railroads brought many people to the
northwest, having been too rural, the northwest depended on fur for
most of its economic needs. With all of the people, towns with
hotels and diners and other many producing buildings came
along.
Work Cited
http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Hist%20n%20Lit/Part%20Four/A
ggressive%20Essay.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/streamliners/timeline/
https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ESPrograms/Conservation/Legacy/Settler/sett7.html
http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Course%20Index/Lessons/17/
17.html
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/RAILROAD/adverts3.html
http://www.historylink.org/this_week/index.cfm
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/Sixth.Html