Fueling the Economy

Fueling the Economy. . , The Industrial Revolution marked the shift in America's economy from hand-made to machine-made products. Better means of transportation, manufacturing, and communication were needed to make change. In the early 1800's, entrepreneurs and legislators looked to canals as the new and better way to transport raw materials and finished goods and spur on the Revolution., The Delaware Canal's Role , In the 19th century, the Delaware Canal played an essential part in fueling growth in the cities of Philadelphia and New York where the coal, stone, lumber and other cargo hauled by canal boats was vital. But the opportunities created by the Canal weren't limited to big cities. Small towns all along its route grew quickly., Bristol Borough, with its Canal's-end location was especially prosperous. Coal yards and other canal-related enterprises were developed. Local businesses met the needs of the canal crews. General stores sold food and supplies, innkeepers offered beds, bartenders set up drinks, blacksmiths shoed mules, and locals stabled mule teams., The Delaware Canal itself was a benefit to the economy. Boat captains, muletenders, locktenders, toll collectors, superintendents, and maintenance workers were employed. Even in its commercial days, the Canal attracted visitors, who enjoyed outings on the waterway., "This quiet little village at the southern end of the Canal suddenly awakened to find itself a port swarming with canal boats, boatmen, mules, and river and coastal boats of all sorts." , C.P. Yoder – Delaware Canal Journal, [Captions:] , Men were the officially designated locktenders, but often they would leave the job up to wives or older daughters, while they earned a second income elsewhere., Mules provided the power for Canal transportation. The team was led by a mule tender, who could be as young as 6-years-old., Cargo-filled canal boats and their crews fueled the Industrial Revolution., The start of a pleasure trip up the Canal at the Tide Lock in Bristol Borough.