Transportation of Food: Canals

Early European settlements in North America were mainly established along the Atlantic coast. From these ports, goods were shipped to Europe, European colonies in the West Indies, and other settlements in North America. As colonies expanded inland they faced a serious transportation problem. With the major exception of the Hudson, eastern America had few rivers that were navigable beyond a few miles of the Atlantic coast. Unimproved roads and turnpikes were constructed and wagon and stage transport systems were developed, but they carried very limited goods and the roads were often impassable due to inclement weather and other problems. In addition wagon transport was slow and costly, especially for bulky and heavy agricultural products, which cost approximately 15 to 25 cents per ton per mile. In the late 1790s canals were offered as solution for faster and lower-cost transportation to the interior.