Transportation

American civilization has come a long way in the area of transportation.  Oxen and horses were the transportation of early America.  Native American’s had long used horses as a means of transportation and with the migration west, white settlers used horses, but mainly oxen to travel across the nation.  About that same time, the Stage coach was introduced which provided a way to haul more people at one time.  This advancement did not come without it’s downfalls and costs.  However, it was an effective method of transportation for a good many years in the United States. 

It was only the conception and completion of the railroads which put an end to the stage coach days, and the transcontinental railroad connected east and west to provide transportation almost nation wide.  This was hailed as one of the 19th Centuries most important technical advances.  Rail transportation is still considered the most economical of transportation methods.  Although railroads are still in use, they are primarily used for the transporting of goods.  This came about with the invention of automobiles when travel by road became the norm.

Roadway encompasses a great deal of the nation and enables people to move North, East, South and West via automobiles.  Every part of the country is accessible via road, highway or interstate.  This is the current most popular and widely used method of normal transportation in the United States.  When longer distance of travel is required, the railroad is still sometimes used, but more often it is the Airplane which transports people the most long distance miles.

Planes are able to move people not only though-out the US but the world.  This is the chief mode of transportation for international and cross-national travelers.  It will be interesting to see what is next in the development of transportation as man moves further and further from their roots to explore the unknown.