Continued Expansion

1800-1900
Earliest US military actions

1910
Urban manufacturing
Steel industry
Textile mills
Final railroad push
Oil and gas fields
American military actions, 1800s map

  America on the Make
The map above summarizes all American military actions outside of American borders during the previous 100 years, plus Indian wars in the Deep South. For the first 50 years, almost all the activities are naval actions (BLUE dots), to combat pirates preying on American shipping (right side of map). After that comes a growing desire for influence in the Pacific (left side).

Urban manufacturing centers, 1910 map

  Urban Explosion
This map shows the surprising growth in urban centers at the precise time that railroad expansion is ending. The arrival of electric lighting and telephones sparks the beginning of a dramatic new transformation of American cities, which are suddenly exciting places to live. Cities are also now the place to get a job, as much of the growth in steam-powered manufacturing is located in urban factories, located right downtown. Today, what remains of this is mostly located in suburban industrial parks.


Blast furnaces and rolling mills, 1910, map

  Steel Everywhere
Pittsburgh is the center of the steel industry, pioneered by Andrew Carnegie using a brand-new process which greatly lowers the cost. Most of the ore is arriving by steamer from the Great Lakes (GREEN arrows), but businesses dependent upon steel have sprouted everywhere. Blast furnaces are shown in YELLOW, while rolling mills (in ORANGE) are even more widespread. Machinery of all sorts is being manufactured everywhere east of the Mississippi River. West of the river, there is little activity.


Textile mills spreading in the South, 1910 map

  Southern Mills
The South continues to lag far behind the North in industrial activity, but is enjoying strong growth in one area. Textile mills. These are located closer to cotton country than northern mills, which have taken over most of New England. In both places, some textile mills still run on waterpower, though larger operations have switched to steam power as a more reliable, year-round energy source.


Railroad expansion exhausted, 1910 map

  Rail Expansion Stalls Out
Here we see that the mighty era of railroad-driven growth has abruptly ended, stopped cold by the limited opportunities for business in dry western regions. Rail lines shown in ORANGE were built previously, while new routes opened since 1890 (in BRIGHT GREEN) are few and far between. The DARK GREEN highlights in the west indicate the corridors of settlement that lie along the widely-spaced railroad routes. Areas without rail links are largely unsettled, as the great mining boom is now over.


Petroleum is the new fuel, 1910 map

  Oil, the Latest Thing
The dawning era of gasoline-powered vehicles is made possible by discovery of huge new oilfields (in GREEN), at the very moment they're needed. At first, cars are a great liberating force, giving individuals unimagined flexibility in living and working arrangements. People have already begun moving into suburban areas, to escape urban noise and industrial pollution. Ironically, however, cars will eventually begin to strangle urban centers with congestion, throwing them into decline.