• the economic development of TX was slow – reason???? transportation

• the arrival of the RR greatly affected TX – new cities started, more settlers came, opened up West TX

• TX was now connected to the rest of the country

• rr’s were faster, cheaper, and more reliable – wagons got stuck in muddy roads and, like river transportation, were unreliable

• immigrated to US and found work building rr

• 1st group to arrive in TX – 250 people – in 1870

• more came in 1876 after the drought in China which destroyed crops and caused a famine that killed nearly 10 million people

• 1881 – approximately 2,600 Chinese workers arrived to build the Southern Pacific line east from El Paso

• after rr was built many stayed in TX

• economic and population growth in cities served by rr’s

• increased trade and connection w/the US

• decline of some towns bypassed by rr’s

• development and settlement of the Tx frontier

• provided transportation and used advertisements and demonstration farms to attract farmers to the frontier

• by selling land to farmers and providing a way to ship goods

• rr integrated TX w/national and world markets

• growth of commercial farming

• rr’s increased businesses and trade in TX towns

• rr’s also promoted the growth of towns located along the lines or at junctions as business spurred economic and population growth

Natural resources, railroad expansion, and technology such as windmills drew people, businesses, and trade to the West TX frontier, all of which contributed to the region’s development. This development affected the region socially as the population grew and new towns were formed, politically as towns competed for railroad connections, and economically as farming, business, and trade increased.

Agriculture was the economy. Most industries supplies items that supported the agricultural economy. Farmers and planters grew cash crops, such as, cotton or sugarcane as well as raising livestock and growing crops such as corn for food.

Planters were able to make a large profit growing cotton because the demand for and the price of cotton increased and slavery provided a cheap source of labor.

Ranchers raised and sold cattle. They drove their cattle out to Texas ports like Galveston or out of state. They did this for more profits.

Effects

Causes Effects

demand for cheap reliable transportationfunding of rr construction by cities and countiesstate land-grant policy for rr fundingexpansion of TX agriculture and industrypromise of new business opportunities

continued settlement of the west Tx frontiergrowth of cities along the rail linesexpansion of commercial agriculturegrowth of new jobs related to rrdecline of cities not along the rail lines

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/atlas_texas/rail_road_texas_1860.jpg