1539 |
DeSota brought 213 horses to America. They arrived in the Ohio Valley in 1600. |
1540 |
Coronado in New Mexico, Vice Menoza, directed by Governor Coronado, to conquer 7 Cities/Cibola. |
1565 |
Saint Augustine, northeast coast of Florida, first permanent white settlement in U.S. #1 |
1607 |
The Indian Canoe, Jamestown,Virginia, horses came here in 1609. Dugout Canoe favored. |
1612 |
First bridge built located at James Towne Island, Virginia May 14, 1607, Wharf 200 ft. long. |
1612 |
The Great Sauk Trail, branched from site of today's Detroit, came French, English, emigrants |
1625 |
Paved Streets in Maine, Bristol township, made of cobblestones, at Fort Cache |
1632 |
First Highway Law, September in 8th year of reign of King Charles I of England. |
1636 |
The Connecticut Path, the Bay Path connecting Mass. Bay colony from New Town (Cambridge) |
1673 |
First Colonial Post Rider, carrying mails between settlements of New England and New York. |
1679 |
The Portage Path around Niagara Falls, connecting many rivers, emptying into Mississippi. |
1700 |
The Iroquois Trail or Mohawk was central thoroughfare across today's New York State. |
1751 |
The Pennsylvania Road, now known as Route 30, and in 1970's parallels Ohio Turnpike, and Pa. 30 |
1753 |
Washington crossing the Allegheny, with Christopher Gist, used by French to control Ohio |
1755 |
Braddook's Road(General Edward Braddock of British forces, disembarked from Alexandria, Va. |
1760 |
The Tobacco-Rolling Road from northern Virginia rolled thru Culpeper, Orange, Hanover co's. |
1763 |
The Boston Post Road, a horseback post in 1729, improved under U.S. Postmaster. Opening of this road initiated day and night post between Boston and New York in 1764. |
1766 |
The Flying Machine stage wagon between Philadelphia and New York, initiated speed delivery. |
1769 |
San Diego, California, 1st of Spanish Missions founded Sunday, July 16th, U.S. Route 101 also known as El Camino Real of the Padres, for the road enjoined 21 missions, visited by Franciscans on foot, was first great central road, came many branches, by Spaniards. |
1774 |
The Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap thru the Allegheny Mountains, at junction of state boundaries of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and the main pioneer road to West. |
1794 |
The Whiskey Rebellion in western Pa. in 1794 was lack of a good road. Used pack horses. Monongahela farmers' revolt against government excise tax upon manufacture of whiskey had on economic basis. Livelihood depended upon sale of grain, lumber, meat, furs, ginseng. Prohibitive wagon freight cost of $3 to $10 for each 100 lbs. across mtns to Philadelphia. |
1795 |
The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road heralded roadbuilding, and best in 13 colonies. |
1797 |
Zane's Trace began at Ohio River near mouth of Big Three Mile Creek (Aberdeen, Ohio)and ended up river at Wheeling, included Maysville Pike which connected Natchez Trace. |
1802 |
Catakill Turnpike, 95 mile road from Catskill, New York on Hudson River to Wattle's Ferry, and by 1783, this route one of three main paths connecting New Eng. with Great Lakes reg. Travelers from southern New York, Conn. and Rhode Island used this over Mohawk Turnpike. |
1804 |
Oliver Evans Amphibious Digger, first stream driven vehicle propelled on land. |
1806 |
Lewis and Clark at Fort Clatsop, 1st transcontinental exploration sponsored by U.S. Gov't. |
1808 |
Gallatin's Road and Canal Report. Sec. of Treasury, became mold for national transportation policies, "early and efficient aid of Federal Government, facilitate commercial Interests". |
1809 |
Natches Trace extended from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, capital of Mississippi Territory. |
1810 |
The Team-Boat Perry on Delaware River at Philadelphia, and Colonel John Stevens built in 1813 a horse treadmill ferryboat at Hoboken, New Jersey to cross to New York City. |
1814 |
Growth of Coastwise Travel, New York to Philadelphia, U.S. Route 1, most heavily traveled road. |
1816 |
First State Board of Public Works, at Gen. Assembly of State of Virginia Feb. 5, 1816. |
1829 |
Hobby Horse Bicycle first patent in U.S. issued N.Y. City on June 26, 1819 to W.E. Clarkson. |
1820 |
General Jackson's Military Road from Nashville, Tenn. to New Orleans, Louisiana, projected to shorten by 220 miles the 736 miles between Nashville and Natchez Trace, 21 to 35 ft. wide. |
1822 |
Sante Fe Trail, first of pioneer road established between Mississippi River and Far West. |
1823 |
First American Macadam Road laid upon Boonsborough turnpike road between Hagerstown and Boonsboro, Maryland, now U.S. Route. Company that built it incorporated in Md. Jan. 30, 1822. Second road surface in U.S. following this was built by U.S. on 73 miles of National Pike or Cumberland Road from west bank of Ohio River, opposite Wheeling, to Zanesville, Musk. River. |
1825 |
The Erie Canal opened October 16th from Buffalo to Albany, 363 miles long canal. It did not injure the stage coach companies between the terminal cities but it did bankrupt the Conestoga wagon freight carriers. |
1826 |
The Michigan Road was the main north and south route over which the settlers moved. But contrary to popular impression, the immigrants to southern Michigan entered principally by way of the Erie Canal, the Great lakes and the old Chicago Turnpike which followed the Sauk Indian trail leading southwest from Detroit. The Michigan Road was used by settlers who established their homes in Indiana. Over this road the pioneers of the 1830's called 'movers' drove their ox-drawn covered wagons thru hills of southern Indiana counties to prairies beyond Wabash River (8 months of year). Michigan Road, named after the lake and not the state, was second only to National Rd. Emigrants from Pennsylvania, New England and other eastern states floated in flatboats and barges and upon rafts down the Ohio River to begin their northward journey at the riverside settlement at Madison. Settlers journeying northward frm the southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas, crossed the Ohio River from Milton to Madison. More than half of homesteaders in northwest quarter of Indiana reached there by the Michigan Road. Some entered southern Michigan over this route. The 267 mile long Michigan Road began at Madison on the Ohio River, through Michigantown, to the Wabash river crossing at Logansport, on to South Bend, west 36 miles to M Michigan City on lake Michigan. The 100 foot wide road was obtained by treaty. |
1827 |
The Northwestern Turnpike incorporated by act of the General Assembly, bad terrain. It reached Parkersburg in 1838 from Winchester, great difficulties due to topography. |
1830 |
The Maysville Turnpike, thru Blue Grass region of Kentucky, 64 mile unit of long mail
road branching from National Pike at Zanesville, Ohio, running southwest through Maysville and Lexington, Kentucky, Nashville Tennessee, Florence, Alabama, to New Orleans. |
1830 |
The Iron Horse Wins hauling a B & 0 railroad car on August 28th, over horse coach. |
1836 |
El Camino Real, the Royal Highway, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to St. Augustine, Florida. |
1836 |
The Deserted Villages in rural areas, like ghost town remnants of mining camps, due to
products of changing conditions in agriculture, industry, transportation, social life, nearly halfway between Millville and Tuckahoe, N. J., a village called Cumberland Work. |
1836 |
The New England Town Hall where assembled all males over twenty one from town and the township , meeting convened once each year, usually during February, March or April. The town meeting became fountain head of all representative government in the county. There were elected, or appointed, regular town officers, such as clerk, treasurer, assessor, surveyor of highways, school committeement, others. |
1836 |
The Parish Church, governed by its vestry, cared for by church wardens, was cradle of society and government in early Virginia. Parish church in Virginia was patterned after its Anglican counterpart. Early records used words Parish and Town interchangeably. |
1836 |
The County Courthouse, the county seat of local goverment. The word county is derived from the territory in France governed by a count. It was applied after the 11th century to the Engoish shires, the antecedent of which were the ancient tribal governments superior to the clans or family groups, which had their habitat in the towns. These two forms of English local goverment--the tribe, or county, and the clan or town, were transplanted to the English colonies in America. The town predominated in New England but the Parish was the accepted political subdivision in Louisiana. The ounty was divided into precincts or 'walks' each in charge of a surveyor or foreman. Tithable persons were local residents over 16 years of age, whether free, slave or indentured. |
1839 |
The First Iron Bridge was over Dunlap's Creek, Main Street, Brownsville, Pennsylvania. |
1840 |
The National Pike or Cumberland Road, first road to be built with Federal Funds in U.S.
Later known as U.S. 40, and today's Interstate 70 running parallel, in places, Thomas Jefferson selected it by the old Portage path across the Allegheny Mountains at Cumberland, Maryland, it moved through Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois for 677 miles ending at the Mississippi River, completed in 1840, 20 years after beginning construction. Heavily laden Conestoga freight wagons passed continually by fast stage coaches drawn by six horses. The last construction expenditure made in Indiana, 1841. |
1841 |
A continuous steel rail connection from New York through Albany to Buffalo. |