Railroad And Canal History

For the use of future students the following notes on the times of completion of various railroads and canals supplying transportation to coal fields are set down. These dates are widely scattered and sometimes difficult to find. A statement showing the mileage of railroad building from 1830 to 1879 by each railroad in the United States is given in the 10th U. S. Census, 1880, vol. 4, pp. 318-365. [Date of Opening Various Bituminous Districts by Railroad Transportation1 Blossburg, Pa. district in1840 Georges Creek, Md. district in1842 Broadtop, Pa. district in1856 Clearfield, Pa. district in1866 Meyersdale, Pa. district in1872 C. & 0., W. Va. district in1873 Elk Garden, W. Va. district in1881 Pocahontas, Va. & W. Va. district in1883 Beech Creek, Pa. district in1884 Hocking Valley, 0. district in 1869.-by Canal 1840] See also Paullin's Atlas of the Historical Geography of the U. S., published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1932, for small-scale maps showing railroad development by decades. [OHIO CANALS Date Date CompletedName of CanalFromToAbandoned 1827, July 4Akron Cleveland 1827, Nov. 28Cincinnati Middleton 1828, Dec. 31 Cincinnati Sandusky 1830, July 10 Cleveland Newark 1832, Dec. 31 Akron Portsmouth 1838Penna. & Ohio Akron Pa. Canals 1853 north of Pgh. 1840, Sept. Hocking Valley Columbus Nelsonville 1844 Sandusky Dayton 1846 Sandy & Beaver Bolivar Smith's Ferry 1852 1846 Cincinnati Springfield]