1. How does industry “boom” in the US?
The Expansion of Industry
How does industry “boom” in the US?

2. 1) water 2) coal 3) oil 4) iron ore Wealth of Natural Resources
- US possessed many natural resources to fuel industrialization
1) water
2) coal
3) oil
4) iron ore

3. Black Gold
Edwin L. Drake developed a steam powered drill, could now reach oil underground, oil booms in Pittsburgh & Cleveland
Patillo Higgins & investors get largest oil strike in US in Beaumont, Texas – oil industry becomes centered in Texas

4. East coast & midwest have large deposits of iron & coal
The Steel Boom
iron ore
coal
East coast & midwest have large deposits of iron & coal
Pittsburgh
1850: Henry Bessemer develops an easy & cheap method to purify iron to create steel
Bessemer causes major “steel boom” in Pittsburgh

5. Inventions Expand Industry
1876 : Thomas Edison sets up research laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ patented inventions
1890: Edison & George Westinghouse design a system to produce and distribute electricity called a powerhouse
Sig: Power can be delivered anywhere in country

6. Transcontinental Railroad
Using immigrants, Union Pacific & Central Pacific race to finish a coast to coast railway – finished & connected in 1889
Positives: allowed faster westward expansion & standard time
Negatives: Credit Moblier Scandal in which RR companies added extra miles of track to make more $, kickbacks to gov officials

7. Building the Transcontinental Railroad
Which groups built the railroad?
What geographic challenge was there in building the railroad?
Who was brought in for the “deadly jobs”?
Discuss: What were positives & negatives of the railroad boom?