You might also read Lincoln's Greatest Case: http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/ct-books-lincolns-greatest-case-brian-mcginty-20150220-story.html
Lincoln battled the riverboat interests in favor of the railroads and won.
The best treatment of this subject that I know of is Nature's Metropolis - Chicago and the Great West by William Cronon.
A very short version of his story is traffic. Michigan lumber from across Lake Michigan, and grain from the West to Chicago. Lumber to build towns was initially the head haul, with grain the back haul.
Another factor commonly cited is Lincoln locating the east end of the Union Pacific in what is now Council Bluffs, which advantaged Chicago vs. St. Louis as compared with a more southern point like St. Joseph.
Another factor that I do not recall much discussion about is that the Chicago lines were all on the ground making interchange relatively easy, and the Chicago lines were able to bridge the Mississippi upstream of St. Louis where the river was not as wide as at St. Louis and downstream points. At St. Louis, bridging the Mississippi was acomplished significantly later, so interchange involved ferrying cars across the river, a slow, capacity constrained, and expensive process. The map of Illinois Railroads in 1861 on page 69 of Metropolis shows the greater river distances at St. Louis clearly, and if I am reading the map correctly, both the Rock Island and the Burlington had bridges over the big river by that date.
What really made Chicago the center for the railways was when Meat production became centered in the Slaughterhouses of Chicago. Chicago offered a central hub for all points east for the most part for fresh meat to be shipped after processing. It also offered a central point for all cattle and hogs to be shipped to.
Recall, too, that the industrial center of the country was in the northeast, making Chicago a natural gateway.
It might be interesting to consider what might have happened if the Great Lakes hadn't forced the railroads into that area.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
caldreamer Why did Chicago become the railroad hub of america instead of cities such as Kansas City, St Louis or Memphis?
Why did Chicago become the railroad hub of america instead of cities such as Kansas City, St Louis or Memphis?
Blame the French. The area that is now Chicago was once a popular portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. French trappers and traders wore many paths between Canada and New Orleans, and Chicago was among the more popular. Because of this, infrastructure grew at this location.
It reached a point that since "everybody" was already there, that's where you had to go to do business with them.
As means of travel gradually moved to land (wagons, rail, and then later highways) another factor keyed in.
Draw a straight line between New York and San Francisco. Notice that Chicago sits at the western most point on the Great Lakes that this line passes through.
If you were building a major east-west railroad, you could hardly afford not to go there. And since most everybody else felt the same way, it was easier to make connections there with a greater number of connecting lines.
Location, location, location!!
No one planned it that way, it just "happened to happen." Look at Chicago's geographic location, especially it's proximity to the Great Lakes, and that'll probably provide a clue. Remember, people traveled by the lakes before the railroads came. First came the city, and the rails came to the city.
And, it's not called Americas "Second City" for nothing
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