Ohio History through the Golden Age of Rail

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, it feels like the right moment to look back at the infrastructure that helped shape a young nation into something far greater than the sum of its parts. In Northeast Ohio, that story runs through the heart of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where the historic Ohio & Erie Canal and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad trace a shared path through time.

The time period following the Civil War is considered the golden age of rail, but how did Ohio rail shape this era? Learn more in our timeline!

(PS - If you’re a fan of the history of steam engines, see history brought to life this summer during Steam in the Valley!)

1803 - Ohio becomes a state. Primary mode of transportation is horse and buggy, or river.

1804 - the first steam locomotive is invented.

1820s - Ohioans begin advocating for railroads. Canals are in development, but slow, and typically move goods north and south. Railroads would speed up transportation as well as provide east & west options.

1825 - Work began on the Ohio & Erie canal.

Plaque Commemorating Opening of Ohio and Erie Canal. Canal would be completed in 1933. Photo from Library of Congress

Nye Family Boats. Nye's father William is standing on the rear boat and his mother Mary is seated at the front. From Library of Congress

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Timetable promotion for Central Ohio, printed 1861. From Library of Congress

1827 - the Baltimore and Ohio, connecting 13 miles between Baltimore and Ellicott’s Mill in Maryland, is chartered and becomes the first Railroad in North America.

1831 - U.S. Mail is carried on a railroad for the first time.

1833 - Ohio and Erie Canal is completed, which vastly reduces the cost of shipping goods. However, canal boats move just 3 miles an hour, and there is already a need for faster transportation.

1833 - President Andrew Jackson becomes the first sitting US president to ride a train.

1836 - the first railroad completed west of the Allegheny Mountains, the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad, is finished, connecting Toledo with Adrian, Michigan. Initially, railcars are pulled by horses. A year later a steam engine accelerates the 33 mile trip of the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad to just a 3 hour journey. The Little Miami Railroad begins construction.

1840 - More than 2,800 miles of railroad are in operation across the US.

1848 - the Little Miami Railroad is completed, becoming an important connection between other railroads in the midwest.

1851 - The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad begins construction, becoming one of the first passenger lines in the state. The first refrigerated railcar entered service.

Mid 1850s - Railroad construction in Ohio expands at a rapid pace, to connect Ohio to neighboring states and the rest of the country. More than 9,000 miles of railroad were in Operation in the US - about as much track as the rest of the world, combined.

By 1860, more than 30,000 miles of railroad track were in operation in the United States. Ohio had nearly 3,000 miles of rail track—more than any other state.

1860 - The Valley Railway, which would one day become the line of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, is founded. The railroad primarily carried coal, stone, minerals, agricultural products, and livestock north to Cleveland.

Development of the rail line and subsequent stations encourages the growth and establishment of towns such as Independence, Brecksville and Peninsula.

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Annapolis Junction, on the Washington branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in possession of the troops of the United States government, 1861. From Library of Congress

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The fastest time on record Photo'd by A. P. Yates, Syracuse, N.Y., May 10, 1893, when Engine 999 drawing the Empire State Express train, made the record of 112 1/2 miles an hour. From Library of Congress

1861-1865 - Civil War in the United States divides the country, but more connected, streamlined and united rail infrastructure in the North keeps essential supplies and resources flowing, contributing to the North’s victory. Ohio’s rich infrastructure of rail in particular connects supplies from manufacturing cities and farm towns to the front lines.

1863 - Congress establishes a standard track gauge for the transcontinental railroad, which later becomes a standard national gauge.

1865 - The Golden Age of Rail begins. After the end of the Civil War, federal land grants contribute to rail track construction from 35,000 miles to 254,000 by 1916.

1869 - The first transcontinental railroad is completed in Utah Territory, connecting the Union Pacific to the Central Pacific.

1880 - Valley Railway Service Begins.

1893 - Locomotive 999 hits 112.5 miles per hour in New York state, becoming the first train to exceed 100 mph.

Akron Beacon Journal documenting the great flood, from March 25, 1913. From Library of Congress

1913 - The Great Flood strikes Ohio and neighboring states. After prior years of flooding and repairs diminished its use to transport goods, the Canal system is retired from further transportation.

1917 - The beginning of the end of the Golden Age of Rail. The Federal Government seizes control of railroads for the duration of World War I. This effort delivers troops and supplies throughout the war effort, but rail lines become worn and need substantial improvement by the time they were returned to private ownership in 1920.

1929-1938 - The Great Depression impacts rail as freight volumes drastically decline. Many segments of privately owned rail fall into bankruptcy.

1939-1949 - During World War II, despite the invention of automobiles and airplanes, rail transportation remained the primary mode of transportation for troops and supplies.

1950s - the interstate highway system is adopted and completed, and the golden age of the automobile begins.

Learn more about the history of Northeast Ohio’s waterways in our recent blog post, or some of the historical railcars we have in our fleet.

Plus, check out upcoming historical events aboard the CVSR, like Steam in the Valley!