Railways, Roads, Schools & Churches
Legacy for Us Today: Every River is an Elwha
Think of these History Lesson Series like the human body: The brain and nervous system are the legal structure “Governing” requiring electricity and a complex language to communicate. Transportation (heart, arteries, veins) distributes sugars, fats, proteins to bring the plant, animal, or government to life. The original system of transport centered on rivers (every river is an Elwha). The Mosquito Fleet dominated Puget Sound. The West’s circulation system started in earnest with the settlement and commerce created by the railroads exporting grains, fuels and lumber to the East, bringing immigrants to the West, supporting small towns with roads, schools, and churches. Horses and wagons used the towns as a focus along these railroads and rivers. A rule of thumb was that towns were a day’s wagon ride apart. Often overlooked were the contributions of ministers and their families and groups like the Sisters of Providence. Hospitals and schools did not happen by accident. It was the railroads, however, that allowed the development of the West, including their construction and lasting economic effects.
https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/oregon-and-california-railroad/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transportation_in_California
https://picturethis.museumca.org/timeline/early-statehood-1850-1880s/railroads-tie-california-rest-nation/info
With which cultural group might one connect the Sisters of Providence whose 51 hospitals today serve much of the West?
Railways, Roads, Schools & Churches
State of California History