Trains and Railroads

The Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area spurred economic development across the nation by creating an inland connection for goods from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, known as the heartland of America to the eastern seaboard. This development fueled westward expansion, a national market economy, a booming industrial manufacturing sector, and the settlement of towns, villages, and cities along the canal.

The first railroad came to Fort Scott in 1869. As it built south, it cut through land already inhabited by squatters who had not yet legally staked their claims. Settlers attacked, and the US Army sent in soldiers to protect the railroad. How would you feel if someone tried to take land that you were living on?

In the decades after the Civil War during Reconstruction, the United States began to rapidly industrialize. Beginning in the late 1860s, laborers – many of them Civil War veterans - began to organize labor unions. One of the most prominent unions that emerged during this time was the Knights of Labor, founded in 1869 in Philadelphia. In 1885, members of the Knights of Labor went out on strike against railroad financier Jay Gould and won.

Corinth Crossroads

Transportation. It’s probably something most of us do not think much about. From cars, bikes, planes, and trains, most of us use some form of transportation to travel to work, school, appointments, and whatever else we do in life. Revolution. A term that can refer to a dramatic social or political change, or simply refer to a cyclical journey. In this article you will learn more about the Transportation Revolution in the Blackstone River Valley and its lasting legacies.

Use this lesson to learn about the Liberty Bell and the nation's founding.

Lieutenant John W. Gunnison, Lieutenant Edward G. Beckwith, and crew traveled from the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, and into the Tomichi Valley. The expedition continued to follow the Grand River (Gunnison River). The Gunnison Expedition report contains the first official description of the Black Canyon.

Byron Bryant's expedition continued exploration of the "Grand Canyon of the Gunnison" for railroad opportunities during the winter of 1883 and 1884. Their survey helped advise the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad to not continue through Black Canyon.

Informational panel discusses ways that roads and rails were instrumental to success for many early homesteaders.

Boston Mill Station is a Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad flag stop. Passengers can get off the train to visit Boston Mill Visitor Center, the pedestrian friendly village of Boston, and nearby trails. Bicyclists, runners, hikers, and paddlers can access the train’s one-way shuttle service to create a trail-train adventure.