Mineral Point in Cambria County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Allegheny Portage Railroad
The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, April 27, 2018
1. Allegheny Portage Railroad - The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Marker
Here, where the Main Line crossed the Allegheny Mountains, workmen built and maintained the Allegheny Portage Railroad, a bold application of steam power to canal and railroad technologies.
When completed in 1834, the entire Main Line system triggered regional growth and prosperity, spawning towns and businesses all along its route. It made travel faster and easier. As shipping costs diminished, new and affordable products reached many western Pennsylvania households. Immigrants to America, thousands of whom moved inland, followed routes like the Pennsylvania's Main Line. They filled the nation's growing demand for labor, often in the hardest, most menial, and most dangerous jobs.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1826.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Path of the Flood (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Allegheny Portage Railroad (here, next to this marker); Staple Bend Tunnel (approx. 1.6 miles away); Johnstown Flood (approx. 3.4 miles away); Sgt. Michael Strank (approx. 3.4 miles away); The South Fork Dam (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Unger House (approx. 3.9 miles away); The Dam Melts Away (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mineral Point.
Also see . . . Staple Bend Tunnel Park. (Submitted on December 28, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, April 27, 2018
2. Allegheny Portage Railroad Marker
Top Illustrations
1 The re-built Aqueduct across the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, a cable structure built by John Roebling about 1845. It replaced a wooden Aqueduct which had been declared unsafe.
2 The Juniata Division Canal at Huntingdon, about 1850. Note the track of the Pennsylvania Railroad by this time running parallel to the canal.
3 Looking downhill from the engine house, cars and sectional canal boats were pulled up the Belmont Plane after crossing the Columbia Bridge over the Schuylkill River.
4 The Main Line canal system stretched from downtown Philadelphia, shown here, to Pittsburgh.
1 The re-built Aqueduct across the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, a cable structure built by John Roebling about 1845. It replaced a wooden Aqueduct which had been declared unsafe.
2 The Juniata Division Canal at Huntingdon, about 1850. Note the track of the Pennsylvania Railroad by this time running parallel to the canal.
3 Looking downhill from the engine house, cars and sectional canal boats were pulled up the Belmont Plane after crossing the Columbia Bridge over the Schuylkill River.
4 The Main Line canal system stretched from downtown Philadelphia, shown here, to Pittsburgh.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 95 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 28, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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