For Professor Anthony

Infrastructure Development and the Growth of Chicago

Transport infrastructure is a sign of growth and development of a town or city. Chicago is such city that focused on transport infrastructure to ensure the growth of the city. Before transport infrastructure improvement, Judge Jesse B. Thomas complained that Chicago was “merely the center of local retail trade of a few hundred miles of extent” (Cronon, 2009, p.63). The government through it planners and other professionals speculated that the provision of proper infrastructure would improve economic growth and break the banks guarding economic hinterland of Chicago. The canal was the first attempt to build artificial corridors connecting Chicago to Illinois. The canal became busy, and farmers opted for water transport rather than using the muddy roads. Chicago thrived because the farmers bought more urban manufactured goods and brought corn to the city. Soon, the railroads were developed and took over the canals and barges, increasing the development of the city in many ways. The newer modes of transport helped Chicago grow not only in the catchment area but also its infrastructure, the flow of goods and urban metabolism. Comment by Teacher: Repetitive Comment by Teacher: Repetitive Comment by Teacher: This sentence is confusing Comment by Teacher: What ways? Avoid vague statements Comment by Teacher: You should define this. Urban metabolism is essentially the study of the flow of materials and energy flow

In 1936, the state government contracted a company that started the construction of the Chicago-Galena railroad. Galena was the center of the northwest Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin lead mining district. The railroad would go deeper into the hinterlands compared to the Illinois canal. The distances that the farmers would move their produce to get to the transport corridor would reduce. Compared to earlier modes of transport like the oxen, horses and human transport, the railroads used fuel, which moved faster and over longer distances. Because the government was unsure of the “speculative” project, businessmen financed the project with support from the rural and small-town communities along the line (Cronon, 2009, 66). During the construction of the railroad project, there was an assumption that Chicago was where the users of the railroad wanted to end their trip. The assumption was not according to nature, but the investors of the project who proclaimed the assumption. The results that the project brought were unimaginable and spurred the town to unforeseen growth. Comment by Teacher: Then it wasn’t an assumption… the investors purposefully made Chicago the end or “hub” station Comment by Teacher: What were the results? This would have added stronger evidence to your argument

The railroad quickly achieved the speculative goals. Soon the Chicagoans realized that the supply of wheat to the town grown drastically. By the beginning of 1850, a system of rails was expanding over Galena, serving Elgin, forty miles west of Chicago. Two years later the rails reached Rockford, and the western terminus is Freeport an extra year later. Branch rails were constructed to increase the access between Chicago and the agricultural fields to the northwest. Chicago had grown its system of rails and all the roads led to Chicago from all over the already expanded hinterlands. By 1860, Chicago had imposed to itself a new geographical superiority over the region because of the grown coverage of the rails. The rise of railroads allowed the growth of Chicago and the decline of the Michigan and Illinois canal (Cronon, 2009). Chicago had benefitted from the canal, but the railroad just took over like a storm with dramatic development changes. Nothing would hinder transportation. Comment by Teacher: Why were they speculative? Consider a different word choice

The construction of railroads as transport system exhibited more innovations compared to the previous modes including lakes, rivers canals, and rural roads. This system of transport broke the geographical barriers, increased the hinterlands because long distances could be covered easily. The resource hinterland increased because there were more goods flowing in and out of the city to even further areas. The railroads did not have to follow existing river valleys and did not have to end in existing harbors. One of the most welcomed advantages the railroads brought with it was that the rails were able to alleviate the problems associated with winter. During the winter when the snow covered the land, and the waters turned to ice, it meant that traveling on waterways was halted (Cronon, 2009). However, the railroads averted this problem, as the winter cold season did not affect the rails. The farmers and the businessmen could trade easily and allow them to get what they wanted in time. Comment by Teacher: Chicago’s hinterland? Comment by Teacher: This should be above in why the canals didn’t work as well as the railroads; i.e. natural contraints

The railroads had improved the urban planning of Chicago. The system of railroads ensured that there were fewer funds used in the construction on long stretches of roads. Rather, road construction was to connect the hinterlands to the railroads that helped move people and goods over long distances. It became easier for the farmers and the urban people to do business. The railroads were quicker than any other modes of transport. The rails could also carry more goods and people over long distances. The reliability of the transport system improved significantly. The idea that the trains could be delayed to meet the time demands of the users brought effectiveness to the transport sector (Cronon, 2009). The railroad transportation allowed Chicago to collect and dispose of waste products easily. The reliable transportation also helped to decongest the city as the people moved out of the city center because they knew they could get to the city whenever they wanted. Comment by Teacher: This is confusing. How did train delays help bring effectiveness and meet time demands? The word delay implies that the trains were not on time…

Reference

Cronon, W. (2009). Nature's metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. WW Norton & Company.

Overall this paper had good ideas but not enough evidence to support them. The paper needed more detailed examples from the reading to support the main ideas, however the student relied on broad, vague statements instead of giving concise examples. This also contributed a lack of evidence that the student actually did the reading thoroughly.

The brief mention of urban metabolism in the introductory paragraph made it seem like the student does not quite understand the class concept especially because it is never formally defined. The organization of the argument was jumbled and should have been presented more clearly. There were times where ideas were presented and no support was given until the next paragraph. This could be improved if the student takes time to create a detailed outline with a logical ordering of the argument and evidence.

Overall score: 73

Ideas (40): 28

20: Connection to class concepts – 15

10: Well-supported argumentation (including citations) – 5

10: Evidence the student understood/did the reading – 8

Organization (35): 25

20: Clear and well-supported main idea – 15

15: Logical order of argumentation/presentation – 10 – some evidence was presented in confusing orders. Ideas were brought up in one paragraph and not supported until further into the paper

Style (10): 7

5: Smooth transitions between ideas and paragraphs – 4

5: Clear and precise language -- 3 – there were many instances of poor word choice that made statements confusing. The use of vague statements also added to the lack of clarity

Grammar (10): 8 – this paper needed more revision

Spelling (5): 5