Role of Steamships
This section provides background on NOBSKA and the historical
significance of coastal steamships, riverboats and trains in
the development of the United States. There is little question
steam powered much of the industrial revolution which built
America; powered the steamships, riverboats and trains which
brought farm products and industrial goods to market; and even
provided the means for passengers to travel and enjoy
recreation. Productivity gained by increased industrialization
and improved transportation in the nineteenth century also
fostered growth of both education and recreation. This in turn
fueled further improvements in the life of working people who
now comprise a majority of the purchasing power driving
today's world economy.
NOBSKA is an ideal venue for portraying
the confluence of education, recreation and transportation.
Along the eastern seaboard steamships became, in the latter half of the 19th century, the major means of transporting cargo which in turn contributed to the growth of cities. These cities, while originally established as centers of commerce and trade, became hubs of industry, taking advantage of existing modes of transportation to bring raw materials and deliver finished goods, and this in turn made them markets with increasing populations drawn both from the farms and immigration. Similarly as mid- western cities grew around industries like iron and steel (such as Pittsburgh), their populations became both sources of labor and consumers of goods. Further west in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City, transportation spawned the initial growth of agriculture which was to flourish in the 20th century to include most cities west of Pittsburgh. Eventually the train opened California, with its near greenhouse climate, to mass production of fruits and vegetables that is a model of world agriculture today.
Throughout the middle of the country, with the benefit of the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers and their tributaries, riverboats powered with steam were the primary means of transportation. In fact, the British played a very direct role in the exploitation of the steam engine in the United States through the War of 1812 which drove ship and engine builders to the Pittsburgh area. It is left as an exercise for the student to determine the extent to which America's industrial growth in iron and steel came from these 1812 roots. The strategic location of Pittsburgh in the region of major coal deposits and with close-by access to the Great Lakes and iron ore from the Mesabi Range in Minnesota made it the heart of industrial America. Cities on major rivers throughout middle America, on the Great Lakes and along the east, gulf and west coasts owe much to the steam engine as the source of power for factories and most transportation during the 19th century.
Overall impact on society of man's increased productivity achieved through the industrial revolution, which was in large measure fueled by the steam engine in furnishing both water and land transportation, was enormous. So extensive was its impact that it provided leisure time for the working class so they could enjoy both recreation and vacations which in turn started opportunities for tourism. More importantly, the productivity improvements associated with the industrial revolution in the United States and throughout the western world, created the middle class, which is now recognized as "the engine" of the world economy.... Further, the middle class, as opposed to a world of "haves" and "have nots" as existed at the beginning of the 19th century, reflects a large majority of the population in developed countries, and hence the base of political power.
Whether it was the locomotive, the riverboat, or the coastal
steamship, all of these means of transportation were used both
for cargo and passengers. There were passengers and freight
trains as well as combination trains. Similarly, there were
riverboats and river barges, where the latter were pushed or
pulled by steam tugs. In the coastal waters, tugs and barges were
also extensively employed, and passenger steamships were a
popular companion to trains, particularly for overnight travel
since ships were readily adaptable to staterooms.
In many ways,
the coastal steamship was a smaller forerunner of the great
ocean liners which plied the Atlantic from the late 19th century
well into the 20th century. The ocean liner was only replaced
when transoceanic jet aircraft travel became standard in the
latter half of the 20th century. Again in much the same way
NOBSKA survived for 50 years, ocean liners were adapted to
cruise ships, and became the basis of a whole new travel industry.