The Impact of Railroads on North America

Expansion of Railroads

• Within 30 years, 30,000 miles of railroad track spanned North America, more than the rest of the world combined.
• Thousands of new towns developed around railroad stations, approximately every eight miles.
• Five major rail lines connected the east and west coasts.

Changes in Timekeeping

• Prior to the railroads, Americans used solar time, resulting in 8,000 different times across 500 rail lines.
• On November 18, 1883, the U.S. adopted four standard time zones to streamline scheduling.

Economic Impact

• Railroads became the largest employer in America with nearly a million workers.
• Richard Sears, a station agent, capitalized on the railroads for business by selling pocket watches, earning ten times his salary.
  • This success led to the creation of the mail-order catalog, revolutionizing sales and distribution.

Sears' Business Model

• Ten years after his first sale, Sears published a 700-page catalog.
• Based in Chicago, his business processed over 35,000 orders daily, selling a wide range of products nationwide.

National Economic Transformation

• The railroad enabled movement of products across vast distances, linking disparate settlements.
• By the end of the 19th century, 200,000 miles of railroad track facilitated a national economy.
• Freight carried by rail increased from 55 to 700 million tons over 40 years.
• The Midwest's resources fed industries in the East, making the U.S. the largest manufacturer globally.

Urbanization and Population Growth

• The U.S. population doubled to 80 million in 20 years.
• The number of cities tripled, with 7 million Americans moving to urban centers.
• This shift marked the transformation from rural settlements to a modern world.