University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2016 Rail Ports: The Collaboration of Railroad & Coastal Steamboat Companies in New England in the 1840s Laura K. Hoglund University of Rhode Island,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Hoglund, Laura K., "Rail Ports: The Collaboration of Railroad & Coastal Steamboat Companies in New England in the 1840s" (2016). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 855. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/855 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. RAIL PORTS: THE COLLABORATION OF RAILROAD & COASTAL STEAMBOAT COMPANIES IN NEW ENGLAND IN THE 1840s BY LAURA K. HOGLUND A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2016 MASTER OF ARTS THESIS OF LAURA K. HOGLUND APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor Rod Mather Michael Honhart Kristine Bovy Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2016 ABSTRACT Prior to the development of railroad travel in New England, the primary mode of transportation was the stagecoach, a slow and uncomfortable vehicle. Steamboats traveled between coastal cities, but were more limited in their routes than stagecoaches and averaged the same amount of travel time. Desire for faster travel times, specifically between New York City and Boston, accelerated technological advancements that led to the development of a fledgling railroad network in New England by the second quarter of the nineteenth century.