Fertile Land

This is America in 1810, after roads push across the Appalachian Mountain barrier. The new states of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee are the first 'western' states, created by Congress to help develop the Ohio River Valley.

Settlers begin arriving in these areas well before they actually become states. The area that will soon become the state of Louisiana is also already well settled, mostly by French and Spanish colonists.

By this time, there are three main routes through the Appalachian Mountains. Once over the main ridges, settlers again spread in all directions (GREEN arrows on map), including down into Tennessee.

Westward migration, 1810 map

  All Roads Lead West
There are now well-developed pathways into western lands, but it takes many weeks of travel by rough road to reach new virgin territory. Cabins in the west are simple, and life is pretty basic. The only way to get supplies from the East is by flatboat or raft, coming down the Ohio River from Pennsylvania.

Roads, 1810 map

  Ready to Go
Americans are a surprisingly mobile people. Without cars, or even reliable maps, they are still ready to pack up everything and move on whenever fresh land becomes available. Families sometimes travel in groups, bringing along their livestock, and sometimes their slaves. This trend dates back to the earliest days of America. Virginians, in particular, seem to view the prospect of starting a new life somewhere else as a delightful challenge.


Population growth, 1790-1810 map

  Shrinking East
To understand just how powerful the new drive westward has become, it is helpful to look at a new kind of map. The map above is not like the ones shown previously, where GREEN highlighting was used to indicate population DENSITY. In this view, the BLUE highlights indicate population GROWTH. The brighter the blue highlight, the faster the growth. The fastest-growing areas are west of the mountains (LARGEST oval), drawing people from RED-highlighted regions, where population is actually shrinking.