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The Effects of Railroads on Washington State Railroads brought crowds of people to the northwest looking for a new life, and made transportation around the northwest easier and faster. They also provided jobs in the northwest which brought many immigrants to Seattle, and revolutionized the way people in Washington lived allowing news, information, and technology to spread freely. In 1883, a railway connecting the Puget Sound with Portland and the east coast was completed (Le Warne 166). This was the main reason for Washington s rapid growth in the late 1800 s and early 1900 s. Washington speculation grew from 23, 955 residents in 1870, to 1, 141, 990 residents in 1910 (Le Warne 161). The following research shows how and why railroads were the most influential technological advance in Washington from the mid 1800 s to the early 1900 s.
When a trans-continental railway from the east coast to Tacoma was completed, it was much easier, faster, and cheaper for people to immigrate to Washington. Therefore, many people came tothe northwest seeking opportunities and a new lifestyle. This railway also had an effect on Washington s economy. The construction provided many jobs, most of which were filled board-working immigrants (Le Warne 167). And because of all the people brought by the railway, the economy naturally grew as new companies started and existing ones grew. The railway brought crowds of people to Washington.
It was completed in 1883, and Washington s population increased by about 1, 118, 000 people from 1870 to 1910 (Le Warne 161). Railroads were directly responsible for this statistic. The rapid growth of population, agriculture, and industry, due largely to the railroads, resulted in early territorial or state status for great sections of the west. (Johnson 18). Basically, railroads brought people to the northwest and made it what it is today. Not only did railroads bring people to the northwest, but they revolutionized the way people lived in the northwest. Before the invention of railroads, the west coast was basically isolated fromthe rest of the country.
It could take months to travel across the country, so people in Washington didn t know the latest news from the capital or the rest of the east coast (Turner 42). The invention of railroads connected Washington with the rest of the country. Railroads brought news, technology, and information to Washington from the east coast much faster. Before railroads, transportation around the northwest was crude and very slow. It depended on the horse and wagon. (Wing 11). Around the turn of the century, an electric interurban railway from Tacoma to Seattle was built.
This made transportation faster and helped industries in both cities. The invention of railroads brought crowds of people to the northwest and revolutionized life the northwest. Basically, railroads opened the door to the northwest, especially Washington because of it s abundance of valuable natural resources. Railroads also provided transportation around the northwest. For these reasons and the others mentioned in this project, Railroads were themes influential technological advance in Washington from the mid 1800 s to the early to mid 1900 s.
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Research essay sample on Technological Advance East Coast
