The Successful Development Essay -- Technology, Logistics

The successful development and implementation of networked technologies coupled with ingenuity and collaboration allowed Michigan to thrive in the manufacturing and service sectors at the turn of the century. By 1900 railroads combined with steamboats, the telegraph, lighthouses and silos revolutionized overland transportation and travel, pulling Michigan and national markets together, aiding in the creation of the modern consumer society and the production of new technologies. Railroads cut travel time dramatically and reduced freight costs with two important economic results for Michigan. First, they made the settlement and development of continental interiors possible which transformed demanding and dangerous journeys of months into a trip of a few days. This linked the countryside more closely to the cities, production areas to markets and raw materials, and continental interiors to coastlines and waterways. Second, farmers switched from raising subsistence crops to cash crops better suited for their local soils, thus increasing crop yields dramatically and income for consumer goods. This stimulated sales, provided more jobs, increased production, and lowered prices. With business booming, companies developed new products, triggering an explosion of new technological advances, inventions, and consumer products in the latter 1800's. Steamboats would be coupled with railroads along with lighthouses, the telegraph and silos. Until steamboats, man had only his might and the wind to transport himself and his cargo. The bulk of the products were floated downstream on rafts and flatboats. However, these vessels were too clumsy to navigate upriver. Although wind was free and worked efficiently on oceans and big lakes, it was no ma... ...nessmen sough to curb seasonal irregularities and promote stability. They formed employers association to monitor labor costs, a trade association to deal with shippers, and new banks to handle the demands of capital and money markets. Due to the ingenuity of men like Sligh, McMillan and Berkey coupled with the development and implementation of networked technologies in transportation and communication Michigan was able to survive economically at the turn of the century. By 1900 Michigan would be tied to national market, aiding in the creation of the modern consumer society and the production of new technologies. These same factors that led to Michigan’s survival would later open Michigan, particularly with the help of Gerald Ford and his Motel T, to become a powerhouse of industrialization and the birthplace of a mobile renaissance in the entire United States.