Highway of Water: How the Ohio and Erie Canal Transformed the Frontier
In the early nineteenth century, Ohio was a land of vast promise but immense isolation. Admitted to the Union in 1803, the young state possessed fertile soil, dense forests, and hardworking pioneer families capable of producing impressive agricultural yields. However, getting these goods to distant markets presented an almost insurmountable challenge. Farmers were trapped in a local barter economy because transporting heavy barrels of grain, pork, and timber over rough, muddy dirt tracks was agonizingly slow and exorbitantly expensive. A trip carrying goods to eastern coastal cities could take months and often cost more than the produce itself was worth. Ohio needed a revolutionary transportation network to unlock its economic potential, and that solution arrived in the form of the Ohio and Erie Canal.
- isolation:
- The condition of being separated or far away from other places, people, or trade networks.
- barter:
- A system of trading goods or services directly for other goods or services without using money.
- locks:
- Enclosed chambers in a canal with gates used to raise or lower water levels so boats can change elevations.
- conduit:
- A passage, channel, or means through which something is conveyed or moved.
- obsolete:
- No longer produced or used because something newer or more efficient has replaced it.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why were Ohio farmers trapped in a local barter economy in the early nineteenth century?
- 2Which two major bodies of water were connected by the Ohio and Erie Canal?
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About this explanatory article passage for Middle School
“Highway of Water: How the Ohio and Erie Canal Transformed the Frontier” is a explanatory article reading passage about Ohio and Erie Canal, written for Middle School. It takes about 3 minutes to read (510 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.