Editing Midwestern United States (section)

=== Development of transportation ===
==== Waterways ====
[[File:Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan City, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-20, DD 03.jpg|thumb|[[Lake Michigan]] is shared by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Pictured is [[Indiana Dunes National Park]] in northwest Indiana.]]
Three waterways have been important to the development of the Midwest. The first and foremost was the [[Ohio River]], which flowed into the [[Mississippi River]]. Development of the region was halted until 1795 by Spain's control of the southern part of the Mississippi and its refusal to allow the shipment of American crops down the river and into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Cefrey |first=Holly |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51281165 |title=The Pinckney Treaty : America wins the right to travel the Mississippi River |date=2004 |publisher=Rosen Pub. Group |isbn=0-8239-4041-1 |edition= |location=New York |oclc=51281165}}</ref> This was changed with the 1795 signing of [[Pinckney's Treaty]].<ref name=":0" />

The second waterway is the network of routes within the Great Lakes. The opening of the [[Erie Canal]] in 1825 completed an all-water shipping route, more direct than the Mississippi, to [[New York (state)|New York]] and the seaport of New York City. In 1848, The [[Illinois and Michigan Canal]] breached the [[continental divide]] spanning the [[Chicago Portage]] and linking the waters of the Great Lakes with those of the [[Mississippi Valley]] and the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Lakeport and river cities grew up to handle these new shipping routes. During the [[Industrial Revolution]], the lakes became a conduit for [[iron ore]] from the [[Mesabi Range]] of Minnesota to [[steel mill]]s in the [[Mid-Atlantic States]]. The [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]], completed in 1959, opened the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/united-states-and-canada/canadian-physical-geography/saint-lawrence-seaway|title=Saint Lawrence Seaway|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>

The third waterway, the [[Missouri River]], extended water travel from the Mississippi almost to the Rocky Mountains.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

In the 1870s and 1880s, the Mississippi River inspired two classic books—''[[Life on the Mississippi]]'' and ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]''—written by native Missourian Samuel Clemens, who used the pseudonym [[Mark Twain]]. His stories became staples of Midwestern lore. Twain's hometown of [[Hannibal, Missouri]], is a tourist attraction offering a glimpse into the Midwest of his time.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Inland canals in Ohio and Indiana constituted another important waterway, which connected with Great Lakes and Ohio River traffic. The commodities that the Midwest funneled into the [[Erie Canal]] down the Ohio River contributed to the wealth of New York City, which overtook [[Boston]] and [[Philadelphia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Building of the Erie Canal |url=https://live-bri-dos.pantheonsite.io/essays/the-building-of-the-erie-canal/ |access-date=August 18, 2022 |website=Bill of Rights Institute |language=en}}</ref>

==== Railroads and the automobile ====
[[File:00DI0943 - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg|thumb|[[Homestead Acts|Homesteaders]] in central Nebraska in 1888]]

During the mid-19th century, the region got its first railroads, and the railroad junction in Chicago became the world's largest. During the century, Chicago became the nation's railroad center. By 1910, over 20 railroads operated passenger service out of six different downtown terminals. Even today, a century after [[Henry Ford]], six [[Class I railroad]]s ([[Union Pacific]], [[BNSF]], [[Norfolk Southern]], [[CSX]], [[Canadian National]], and [[Canadian Pacific]]) meet in Chicago.{{sfnp|Condit|1973|pp=43-49, 58, 318-319}}<ref>{{Holland-Classic|pages = 66–91}}</ref>

In the period from 1890 to 1930, many Midwestern cities were connected by electric [[interurban]] railroads, similar to streetcars. The Midwest had more interurbans than any other region. In 1916, Ohio led all states with {{convert|2,798|mi|km}}, Indiana followed with {{convert|1,825|mi|km}}. These two states alone had almost a third of the country's interurban trackage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/railways-interurban |title=US History Encyclopedia: Interurban Railways |publisher=Answers.com |access-date=October 3, 2010}}</ref> The nation's largest interurban junction was in Indianapolis. During the decade of the early 1900s, that city's 38 percent growth in population was attributed largely to the interurban.<ref>David P. Morgan (ed.): ''[https://archive.org/stream/interurbanera00midd/interurbanera00midd_djvu.txt The Interurban Era]'', Kalmbach Publishing Co., pp. 16–17.</ref>

Competition with automobiles and buses undermined the interurban and other railroad passenger business. By 1900, [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] was the world center of the auto industry, and soon practically every city within {{Convert|200|mi}} was producing auto parts that fed into its giant factories.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 3144703|title = The Automotive Industry: A Study in Industrial Location|journal = Land Economics|volume = 35|issue = 1|pages = 1–14|last1 = Hurley|first1 = Neil P.|year = 1959|doi = 10.2307/3144703| bibcode=1959LandE..35....1H }}</ref>

In 1903, Henry Ford founded the [[Ford Motor Company]]. Ford's manufacturing—and those of automotive pioneers [[William C. Durant]], the [[Dodge]] brothers, [[Packard]], and [[Walter Chrysler]]—established Detroit's status in the early 20th century as the world's automotive capital. The proliferation of businesses created a synergy that also encouraged truck manufacturers such as Rapid and [[GMC (automobile)|Grabowsky]].<ref name="Woodford">Woodford, Arthur M. (2001). ''This is Detroit: 1701–2001''. Wayne State University Press</ref>

The growth of the auto industry was reflected by changes in businesses throughout the Midwest and nation, with the development of garages to service vehicles and gas stations, as well as factories for parts and tires. Today, greater Detroit remains home to [[General Motors]], [[Chrysler]], and the Ford Motor Company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gm.com/our-company/about-gm.html|title=About GM {{!}} General Motors|website=Gm.com|access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}