ive　wagons　and　was　known；　in　the　vernacular　　of　the　plains；　as　a　〃bull…outfit〃；　the　drivers　were　　〃bull…whackers〃；　and　the　wagon　master　was　the　〃bull…wagon　boss。〃
  The　old　story；　however；　was　repeated　again　here　on　the　boundless　plains　of　the　West。　The　Western　trails　streaming　out　from　the　terminus　of　steamboat　traffic　between　Kansas　City　and　Omaha　had　scarcely　time　to　become　well　known　before　the　railway　conquerors　of　the　Atlantic　and　Great　Lakes　regions　were　planning　the　conquest　of　the　greater　plains　and　the　Rockies　beyond。　The　opening　of　the　Chinese　ports　in　1844　turned　men's　minds　as　never　before　to　the　Pacific　coast。　The　acquisition　of　Oregon　within　a　few　years　and　of　California　at　the　close　of　the　Mexican　War　opened　the　way　for　a　newspaper　and　congressional　discussion　as　to　whether　the　first　railway　to　parallel　the　Santa　Fe　or　the　Overland　Trail　should　run　from　Memphis；　St。　Louis；　or　Chicago。　The　building　of　the　Union　Pacific　from　Omaha　westward　assured　the　future　of　that　city；　and　it　was　soon　joined　to　Chicago　and　the　East　by　several　lines　which　were　building　toward　Clinton；　Rock　Island；　and　Burlington。
  But　the　construction　of　a　few　main　lines　of　railway　across　the　continent　could　only　partially　satisfy　the　commercial　needs　of　the　West。　True；　the　overland　trade　was　at　once　transferred　to　the　railroad；　but　the　enormous　equipment　of　stage　and　express　companies　previously　employed　in　westward　overland　trade　was　now　devoted　to　joining　the　railway　lines　with　the　vast　regions　to　the　north　and　the　south。　The　rivers　of　the　West　could　not　alone　take　care　of　this　commerce　and　for　many　years　these　great　transportation　companies　went　with　their　stages　and　their　wagons　into　the　growing　Dakota　and　Montana　trade　and　opened　up　direct　lines　of　communication　to　the　nearest　railway。　On　the　south　the　cattle　industry　of　Texas　came　northward　into　touch　with　the　railways　of　Kansas。　Eventually　lateral　and　trunk　lines　covered　the　West　with　their　network　of　lines　and　thus　obliterated　all　rivalry　and　competition　by　providing　unmatched　facilities　for　quick　transportation。
  In　the　last　days　previous　to　the　opening　of　the　first　transcontinental　railway　line　a　unique　method　of　rapid　transportation　for　mail　and　light　parcels　was　established　when　the　famous　〃Pony　Express〃　line　was　put　into　operation　between　St。　Joseph　and　San　Francisco　in　1860。　By　relays　of　horsemen；　who　carried　pouches　not　exceeding　twenty　pounds　in　weight；　the　time　was　cut　to　nine　days。　The　innovation　was　the　new　wonder　of　the　world　for　the　time　being　and　led　to　an　outburst　on　the　part　of　the　enthusiastic　editor　of　the　St。　Joseph　Free　Democrat　that　deserves　reading　because　it　breathes　so　fully　the　Western　spirit　of　exultant　conquest：
  〃Take　down　your　map　and　trace　the　footprints　of　our　quadrupedantic　animal：　From　St。　Joseph；　on　the　Missouri；　to　San　Francisco；　on　the　Golden　Horn　two　thousand　milesmore　than　half　the　distance　across　our　boundless　continent；　through　Kansas；　through　Nebraska；　by　Fort　Kearney；　along　the　Platte；　by　Fort　Laramie；　past　the　Buttes；　over　the　Mountains；　through　the　narrow　passes　and　along　the　steep　defiles；　Utah；　Fort　Bridger；　Salt　Lake　City；　he　witches　Brigham　with　his　swift　pony…ship　through　the　valleys；　along　the　grassy　slopes；　into　the　snow；　into　the　sand；　faster　than　Thor's　Thialfi；　away　they　go；　rider　and　horsedid　you　see　them？　They　are　in　California；　leaping　over　its　golden　sands；　treading　its　busy　streets。　The　courser　has　unrolled　to　us　the　great　American　panorama；　allowed　us　to　glance　at　the　home　of　one　million　people；　and　has　put　a　girdle　around　the　earth　in　forty　minutes。　Verily　the　riding　is　like　the　riding　of　Jehu；　the　son　of　Nimshi　for　he　rideth　furiously。　Take　out　your　watch。　We　are　eight　days　from　New　York；　eighteen　from　London。　The　race　is　to　the　swift。〃*
  *　Quoted　in　Inman's　〃The　Great　Salt　Lake　Trail；〃　p。　171。
  The　lifetime　of　many　and　many　a　man　has　covered　a　period　longer　than　that　interval　of　eighty…six　years　between　1783；　when　George　Washington　had　his　vision　of　〃the　vast　inland　navigation　of　these　United　States；〃　and　the　year　1869；　when　the　two　divisions　of　the　Union　Pacific　were　joined　by　a　golden　spike　at　Promontory　Point　in　Utah。　In　point　of　time；　those　eighty…six　years　are　as　nothing；　in　point　of　accomplishment；　they　stand　unparalleled。　When　Washington's　horse　splashed　across　the　Youghiogheny　in　October；　1784；　the　boundary　lines　of　the　United　States　were　guarded　with　all　the　jealousy　and　provincial　selfishness　of　European　kingdoms。　But　overnight；　so　to　sneak　these　limitations　became　no　more　than　mere　geometrical　expressions。　〃Pennamite；〃　〃Erie；〃　and　〃Toledo〃　wars　between　the　States；　suggesting　a　world　of　bitterness　and　recrimination；　are　remembered　today；　if　at　all；　only　by　the　cartoonist　and　the　playwright。　The　ancient　false　pride　in　mock　values；　so　cherished　in　Europe；　has　quite　departed　from　the　provincial　areas　of　the　United　States；　and　Americans　can　fly　in　a　day；　unwittingly；　through　many　States。　Problems　that　would　have　cost　Europe　blood　are　settled　without　turmoil　in　the　solemn　cloisters　of　that　American　〃international　tribunal；〃　the　Supreme　Court；　and　they　appear　only　as　items　of　passing　interest　in　our　newspapers。
  In　unifying　the　nation　the　influence　of　the　Supreme　Court　has　been　priceless；　for　it　has　given　to　Americans；　in　place　of　the　colonial　or　provincial　mind；　a　continental　mind。　But　great　is　the　debt　of　Americans　to　the　men　who　laid　the　foundations　of　interstate　commerce。　No　antidote　served　so　well　to　counteract　the　poison　of　clannish　rivalry　as　did　their　enthusiasm　and　their　constructive　energy。　These　men；　dreamers　and　promoters；　were　building　better　than　they　knew。　They　thought　to　overcome　mountains；　obliterate　swamps；　conquer　stormy　lakes；　master　great　rivers　and　endless　plains；　but；　as　their　labors　are　judged　today；　the　greater　service　which　these　men　rendered　appears　in　its　true　light。　They　stifled　provincialism；　they　battered　down　Chinese　Walls　of　prejudice　and　separatism；　they　reduced　the　aimless　rivalry　of　bickering　provinces　to　a　businesslike　common　denominator；　and；　perhaps　more　than　any　class　of　men；　they　made　possible　the　wide…spreading　and　yet　united　Republic　that　is　honored　and　loved　today。
  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL　NOTE
  The　history　of　the　early　phase　of　American　transportation　is　dealt　with　in　three　general　works。　John　Luther　Ringwalt's　〃Development　of　Transportation　Systems　in　the　United　States〃　（1888）　is　a　reliable　summary　of　the　general　subject　at　the　time。　Archer　B。　Hulbert's　〃Historic　Highways　of　America；〃　16　vols。　（1902…1905）；　is　a　collection　of　monographs　of　varying　quality　written　with　youthful　enthusiasm　by　the　author；　who　traversed　in　good　part　the　main　pioneer　roads　and　canals　of　the　eastern　portion　of　the　United　States；　Indian　trails；　portage　paths；　the　military　roads　of　the　Old　French　War　period；　the　Ohio　River　as　a　pathway　of　migration；　the　Cumberland　Road；　and　three　of　the　canals　which　played　a　part　in　the　western　movement；　form　the　subject　of　the　more　valuable　volumes。　The　temptation　of　a　writer　on　transportation　to　wander　from　his　subject　is　illustrated　in　this　work；　as　it　is　illustrated　afresh　in　Seymour　Dunbar's　〃A　History　of　Travel　in　America；〃　4　vols。　（1915）。　The　reader　will　take　great　pleasure　in　this　magnificently　illustrated　work；　which；　in　completer　fashion　than　it　has　ever　been　attempted；　gives　a　readable　running　story　of　the　whole　subject　for　the　whole　country；　despite　detours；　which　some　will　make　around　the　many　pages　devoted　to　Indian　relations。
  For　almost　every　phase　of　the　general　topic　books；　monographs；　pamphlets；　and　articles　are　to　be　found　in　the　corners　of　any　great　library；　ranging　in　character　from　such　productions　as　William　F。　Ganong's　〃A　Monograph　of　Historic　Sites　in　the　Province　of　New　Brunswick〃　（〃Proceedings　and　Transactions〃　of　the　Royal　Society　of　Canada；　Second　Series；　vol。　V；　1899）　which　treats　of　early　travel　in　New　England　and　Canada；　or　St。　George　L。　Sioussat's　〃Highway　Legislation　in　Maryland　and　its　Influence　on　the　Economic　Development　of　the　State〃　（〃Maryland　Geological　Survey；〃　III；　1899）　treating　of　colonial　road　making　and　legislation　thereon；　or　Elbert　J。　Benton's　〃The　Wabash　Trade　Route　in　the　Development　of　the　Old　Northwest〃　（〃Johns　Hopkins　University　Studies　in　Historical　and　Political　Science；〃　vol。　XXI；　1903）　and　Julius　Winden's　〃The　Influence　of　the　Erie　Canal　upon　the　Population　along　its　Course〃　（University　of　Wisconsin；　1901）；　which　treat　of　the　economic　and　political　influence　of　the　opening　of　inland　water　routes；　to　volumes　of　a　more　popular　character　such　as　Francis　W。　Halsey's　〃The　Old　New　York　Frontier〃　（1901）；　Frank　H。　Severance's　〃Old　Trails　on　the　Niagara　Frontier〃　（1903）　for　the　North；　and　Charles　A。　Hanna's　〃The　Wilderness　Trail〃；　2　vols。　（1911）；　and　Thomas　Speed's　〃The　Wilderness　Road〃　（〃The　Filson　Club　Publications；〃　vol。　II；　1886）　for　Pennsylvania；　Virginia；　and　Kentucky。　The　value　of　Hanna's　work　deserves　special　mention。
  For　the　early　phases　of　inland　navigation　John　Pickell's　〃A　New　Chapter　in　the　Early　Life　of　Washington〃　（1856）；　is　an　excellent　work　of　the　old…fashioned　type；　while　in　Herbert　B。　Adams's　〃Maryland's　Influence　upon　Land　Cessions　to　the　United　States〃　（〃Johns　Hopkins　University　Studi