Evolution of Metropolitan System in USA

Based on Work of John Borchert

Size Rank Curve for USA 1960

Function and Population Corelation

The struggle for the upper Mississippi St Louis, Cincinnati and

ChicagoFrom Urban History in a Regional

Context: River Towns on the Upper Mississippi 1840-1860

Towns evolve in systemic context

• Developments not strictly hierarchical

• Three levels of reality– Changing function of regional production,

exchange and consumption– Shifting patterns of interaction among towns

produces changes in economic bases– Specific reactions of individual merchants and

leaders to changes.

Beginning of system

• St Louis’s regional system began as an outpost wholesaling chain connecting New Orleans and Cincinnati entrepot to set of forts and trading posts along Mississippi and Illinois Rivers after the War of 1812

• Shipped lead east to New York and Philadelphia and imported goods from New Orleans who transported goods westward

St Louis during early Steamboat era

• Development of steamboats enabled– agricultural surplus ( wheat and hogs) to be

exported – Promoted immigration to frontier

Second phases of Steamboat 1840-1845

• Alton Illinois supported by Cincinnati challenged St Louis in region

• Cincinnati also worked directly in region

• System not fully integrated around St Louis

Third phase - St Louis dominate

• Steamboat and financing system give ST Louis locational advantage and neutralized interior merchants trading directly with New Orleans and Cincinnati.

• Galena established as a secondary trading center at break in steamboat travel goods transshipped to Minnesota, Wisconsin and central Iowa.

Ms

Problems in system hinder St Louis

• Rapids above Keokuk forced extra handling which increased costs of goods from St Louis and decreased the value of goods exported from above the rapids

• St Louis community does not have the capital needed to mitigate the rapids

Coming of the Railroads

• Towns at or across from railhead on the river became focal points of wholesaling and forwarding trade between Chicago and the West and Northwest

• Cincinnati reentered the market.

• St Louis lost territory

• Two rather independent systems existed for a decade or so

Civil War and expanded RR system

• Several cities that became secondary entrepots in the first rail era were to be outflanked by Chicago

• Even tough St Louis was on the Union side its trade to New Orleans was greatly restricted’

• Chicago railroads continued to be developed while steamboat system contracted

Town leadership has three options

• Beat another town by performing its chief functions more effectively

• React to intensified markets by specializing that their site allowed them to perform better than their less specialized neighboring cities

• Integrate into the entire system by performing a lower order function.

Frontier town evolution

• As the agricultural frontier filled in the gateway cities had to cope with longer supply lines and higher costs

• New urban places were founded and a more integrated central place hierarchy evolved.

Louis Hill promoted travel to Glacier Park and built European style buildings to accommodate

tourists

Atlantic City

Niagara Falls

Hog Butcher of the world

United Fruit

Increase in number of cities