What is your favorite piece of technology in the history of mankind?
The Machines that Made Illinois Steel Plow, Mechanical Reaper, and Chicago
Vocab Infrastructure The mechanical improvements made to land in a country
Technology Progresses Cyrus Hall McCormick Developed a wheat reaper in Virginia Combined the many steps in wheat harvesting into one machine Pulled by horse or ox Increased wheat harvests from 3 acres a day to 15 Increased farming capacity
Building a Huge Business 1844 Built 50 reapers at the family blacksmith shop in Virginia Experimented in different methods of manufacturing in New York and Ohio 1847-Consolidated his factories in Chicago Considered a marketing and manufacturing genius, not so much of an inventor
John Deer Blacksmith from Vermont Developed the steel plow Moved to Illinois in 1837 Developed the steel plow Designed to bust tough prairie sod Increased ability to farm Illinois plains
Improves His Work Starts to focus on improving manufacturing techniques 10 plows 1839 75 plows 1841 100 plows 1842 1848 Moves Company to Moline IL Employs around 16 men Builds 2,136 plows in 1849
John Deere “If we don’t improve our product, somebody else will.” Constantly innovating the product Eventually makes tractors and combines
Isaac Funk Poor laborer until he came to Illinois-1824 Works hard, pays little, saves much Became a “cattle baron” Brought huge herds of cattle to McLean county from Texas and Missouri Develops his own feed corn Starts to put money into AG research Funk seed Co.
Improving Agriculture Farmers installed drain tiles to drain marshy ground in east central Illinois. Legislatures established drainage districts
Chicago Started as small trading post. The Erie Canal made shipping easier & led to the development of Chicago. 1833, given a village charter New harbor built in 1834 Yankees invest heavily 500% increase in housing prices 1832-1836
The Illinois Michigan Canal Connected the Great Lakes and Mississippi At Chicago 1822 Illinois applies for land to build canal 1827 Given land to build canal by Natl Govt Arguing about the size of canal 1836 Canal work begins 1842 Work stops 1848 Work Finished 1870 Canal finally turns a profit
Canals of Illinois
Infrastructure Overhaul Henry Clay’s “American System” Improve country with infrastructure Illinois follows suit 1837 Statewide Railroad network Illinois Central Railroad Cairo to Galena Skip Chicago because of the canal
Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad Work stops on the railroad in 1839 thanks to the Panic of 1837 Stephen A Douglas get it started again with land sales profits 1851 Completed in 1856 705.5 miles World’s Longest Rail Road
How was it paid for?
Who built these projects? Irish Immigrants Poor from New England
Benefits of ICR Increased immigration to state as a whole Turns Chicago into national RR hub