Railways, Roads, Schools & Churches
Legacy for Us Today: Every River is an Elwha
Think of these next 4 History Lesson Series like a 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. For many, it was a lonely place.
The most widely distributed of the 3 native spruce trees found in the Cascadia and Rocky Mountain Floristic Region is shown below. It is the:
Reproducible Student Worksheet
Color or paint this Plant Distribution Map
Railways, Roads, Schools & Churches
State of Montana History