River of Change

River of Change. . , Darby Creek may have looked something like this in the 1600s., In the beginning of our nation's history, rivers provided transportation and trade routes. People settled along the rivers at convenient landing sites at places easy to defend, or where travelers crossed to continue overland journeys., There were fish in the rivers and game along their banks. Wooded shores provided timber and fuel., Rivers powered sawmills and gristmills. They provided water for towns. They transported raw materials to factories merchandise, customers, troops to battle. Agriculture in some areas depended floods to enrich the soil., Change came with the arrival of efficient overland transportation. Trains crossed the continent, bypassed settlements soon withered and died. A riverside location no longer guaranteed prosperity., Today, rivers continue [unreadable]. Some river ports still welcome ships of commerce but many of the ships are too big to go upstream. River barges transport coal and grain. Industrial use of rivers help generate electricity. They irrigate farmers' fields. Treated with chemicals they provide drinking water in some locations., Rivers provide habitat for wildlife. They provide recreation for boaters, fisherman and others who see the pleasure of being near the water. Rivers link us in many ways to the world, other [unreadable], to the natural environment, and even to the past, and we try to imagine the river as our ancestors saw it.,

When?. Before 1638: Indians , 1638 - 1655: New Sweden , 1655 - 1664: Dutch dominion , 1664 - 1681: English rule , 1681 - 1784: Pennsylvania colony , 1784 - 1870: Americans , 1870 - 1935: Suburban development , 1935 - 1937: Building restoration , 1937 - present: Historic park