Excerpt from History of Pittsburgh and Environs, Vol. 3

Agriculture was at once subordinated to new conditions in the pro duction of smaller crops which were necessary at very fair returns for the subsistence of the local population. Pittsburgh had another ad vantage; that was the circumstance that most of those enroute to the West and South assembled in their town to take passage to their several landing places in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, which gave them time to take stock of the various resources of the town. These settlers soon found that many of the essentials for their new homes and farms, as well as the little factories that some of them intended building, were to be had at much more reasonable prices than in any of the eastern markets, and were ready to take with them on their trips to their new homes. This fact was speedily apparent to the Pittsburgh manufacturer and tradesman of whatever nature, and production was hurried in every line. Letters from those who had bought from Pittsburgh producers to those in the East who contemplated joining them in the West and South, notifying them of the advantages of buying in Pittsburgh es pecially in the matter of convenience, both in prices and quick ship ments, multiplied their customers and expanded the area of sales greatly very early in the history of local manufacturing. Gradually, too, the boating facilities began to improve, which gave these manufacturers great advantages over eastern competitors which they were quick to see and just as quick to take care of. Manufacturing had struck its stride and Pittsburgh had discovered its destiny. Other cities, east and west, north and south, have vainly imagined that the finger of this destiny has pointed at them, indeed, they have risen in this illusion to be putative rivals of the iron-steel-coal-electric-city, but each in turn has become conscious of the illusion and adapted itself to conditions indicated.

Transportation in those days was of the most elementary nature and was carried on in every direction under the most expensive conditions, but this subject is fully treated in another chapter.

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