The Ohio River Trade, 1788-1830

"The Ohio River Trade, 1788-1830" by Hazel Yearsley Shaw is a historical exploration of the commercial activity that shaped America's westward expansion. It presents the Ohio River as a critical route for both immigrants and traders, highlighting how the river fostered the growth of new towns in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Shaw's writing follows the transition from simple canoes to more sophisticated flatboats and barges, driven by resourceful boatmen who faced dangers and connected growing settlements. These challenges and progressive advances in moving boats up stream serve as a window into the economic development of the early American West.