Westward Expansion was a plan of America to gain control over the territories in the Western America. These territories were those that had not been claimed or occupied by other countries. The greatest impact on the expansion to the West was brought about by the creation of the railroad during the second half of the 18th Century. These railroads came from England. Notably, there was the Trans-continental railroad, which led to increased expansion to the West in the course of 1860 – 1890. The railroad could connect most of the cities in the West, which appear to have been quite far apart as seen from the map (Roza, 2011). The development of the railroad in the West was also done together with telegraph creation. The telegraphs were used on the railroads for purposes of communication.
The rising traffic on the single track railroad lines starting in the 1860s meant there was need for efficient operations and some flexibility. This need led to the development of the telegraph, which gave the railroad dispatcher the time of arrival and departure of every train at the station. The use of the telegraph on the railroad line made it easy for the dispatcher to communicate abrupt changes to the planned places of meeting, especially when a train was running late (Roza, 2011). It also enabled safe scheduling of more trains on the railroad line as well as quick movement of people and commodities.
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The telegraph was discovered by Samuel Morse and his idea patented in the year 1837. The Congress then approved funds for the construction of the first experimental telegraph line in the year 1843. Later on there was the Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860, which enhanced the development of telegraph lines in America (Roza, 2011). With the construction of railroad lines in the 1860s to increase connectivity among major cities in the West, the use of telegraphs became necessary. The first use of telegraph to direct train operations was done in the year 1851 by Charles Minot. Minot used a telegraph line that had just been installed to give a train order, which was meant to change the point of meeting between two trains (Roza, 2011). On issuing this train order, Minot wanted a confirmation of whether his message had been received. The communication had been successful and the change to the schedule made it easy for efficient movement.
Introduction of the telegraph on the railroad line made it possible for a more sophisticated system since it offered the means of transmitting messages that went faster than the speed of train movement. The telegraph became a very essential tool for the train dispatcher, who could then manage movement on the railroad line while at a long distance away (Torr, 2003). The telegrapher kept a link between the train dispatcher and the trains running on the railroad line. The telegrapher had the role of copying train orders and messages, which he or she relayed to the train crews and reported train passage to the dispatcher.
Normally, a train dispatcher would be given out by the train dispatcher, mandating the train crew to occupy and take charge a section of the railroad line. Such a message would be sent by means of a telegraph to the station close to the block. This information would be conveyed to the train crew. The train orders were very essential to the operations on the railroad lines and even overrode time schedules.
By the end of 1890, the major cities in the West were connected by railroad lines. The population also increased and opportunities surged (Roza, 2011). New towns with markets were developed along the railroad line. Mostly, the towns were developed at the railroad line construction centers. There was great expansion of the agricultural industry in western parts of America during the period from 1860 – 1890. This expansion was also characterized by increase in the population. Economic development was present in the plain states of the West America. All these developments were as a result of the great advancement in the railroad line transport system marked by the use of the telegraph.
The Midwest and North enhanced railroad line networks by the 1860s, connecting every major city as evident from the map. There were short lines constructed in order to connect the cotton regions to the oceans as well as river ports. Most of the farms and firms in Midwest America were located about 5 miles from the railroad line hence could easily transport commodities to various destinations. The efficient funding system of the Wall Street provided railway bonds that facilitated the development of the railroad lines. By 1890, the railroad lines had been developed into 20 trunk lines (Domnauer, 2010).
Westward expansion is regarded as an important part of the American history in the 18th Century. The availability of huge land that was free gave opportunities for the reshaping of the American history. The construction of railroad line increased the expansion to the West and brought about many opportunities. Populations surged and industries like agriculture and manufacturing developed. The use of telegraph on the railroad line advanced the operations of trains and increased efficiency. It made railroad transport to be quite reliable and safe. Delays could easily be avoided through train orders. Nowadays, telegraphs have since been replaced by the radio calls.
References
Domnauer, T. (2010). Westward expansion . New York: Children's Press.
Roza, G. (2011). Westward expansion . New York: Gareth Stevens Pub.
Torr, J. (2003). Westward expansion . San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
