08 March 2013

How fast could you travel across the U.S. in the 1800s?



Source: http://image1.masterfile.com/em_w/04/78/39/400-04783948w.jpg
Nowadays when we think of traveling we figure how long might it take us if we drive, take a bus, take a ferry, travel by train, or fly.

When our ancestors were moving from place-to-place, most of these modes of transportation were not an option. Many traveled by foot, horse, wagon, ship, etc.

Never mind inhospitable weather, unfriendly individuals and other hazards.

source: http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/mvgw/images/erie_canal_packet_boat-300.jpg 
An article How fast could you travel across the U.S. in the 1800s? really gives some perspective on “how long” it used to take to travel in the U.S.  As a person who thinks nothing of driving for a day to get to the warm beaches of FL or the cool weather of Canada, for fun, and whose longest train trip was from Chicago to CA, it’s hard to imagine weeks on the road!

Some related topics include:


Do you have any neat resources about how and how long our ancestors traveled?

Is there a neat travel story in your family?




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1 comment:

  1. My son, Kevin J. Hayes, has written a book titled "An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887". The book is about a 21 year old newspaperman named George Nellis who rode his ordinary bicycle from
    Herkimer, NY to San Francisco, CA in 1887.

    Richard Hayes

    ReplyDelete