Chugging Along

Reading the selection "Rails and Water"  from William Cronon's book Nature's Metropolis as well as selections from John. F. Stover's, American Railroads added to the discussion of America's relationship to railways in 19th century.   Stover's writing was dense and highly factual, describing the growth of railroads across America, but mainly in the east.   Cronon's piece addressed the same issues, while focusing upon a smaller area, namely Chicago.   What struck me the most in these two articles was not the technological advancements of the railroads, but rather how the railroads changed American perspectives in business and life.   As Cronon put it, "The railroad thus became the chief device for introducing a new capitalistic logic to the geography of the Great West"(81).  Among these changes were the intensification of business competition amongst railroads and the springing up of industry in America to support the railroads.  The widespread railroads also forced new methods of statistic-taking, record-keeping, and business management, because old, small-business methods did not work on such a large scale.  The concept of time was vastly changed by the railroads as well, for as transportation became more quick and regular, people valued schedule and efficiency more and more.  To make a leap, I would personally infer that this could be one of the first shifts towards the American mentality one hears of often today, that we "rush around and are always busy."   I found it fascinating that the railroads even forced the creation of the standard time zones we use today.   I had never considered before that some of our "deeply-rooted" capitalistic principles, as well as the very manner in which Americans structure their lives, could have been influenced by something so seemingly "only technological"  as the railroad.   Cronon and Stover's pieces helped me to see some different, even more profound effects of the railroad on American life.