The Cumberland Road

1. The Cumberland Road 1835

2. Fact 1: What- The Cumberland Road was the first federal road project. It is how America got the idea to have paved highways for easy travel.

3. People argued over if the federal government could build across state boundaries. • States not affected by the road didn’t want to fund the project. • There were endless debates about the Cumberland Road. • The road was made of dirt, stone, and gravel. • Created jobs for a lot of men. • People started settling a long the side of the road as it was being built.

4. The Cumberland Road is made up of turnpikes. They are called turnpikes because whenever a traveler was stopped to pay a toll (fee) the road was blocked by sharp wooden spears called pikes that a man collecting the toll would turn underground so that the traveler could pass.

5. Fact 2: Who- The federal government paid for the Cumberland Road to be built after people demanded President Jefferson to tie together the East and the early West.

6. Congress agreed to extent the proposed route to Vandalia

7. A group of men along the road began to do work on Sundays, gamble on horse races, and heavily drink. The men lived along the sides of the road and worked to build the road. This is how “The Wild West” got its name.

8. Fact 3: Where- The Cumberland Road is 621. 4 miles long and approximately 66 feet wide. It goes from Cumberland, Maryland to present day Wheeling, West Virginia.

9. Started construction in Cumberland, Maryland • Stopped construction in Wheeling, West Virginia • Ends in Vandalia, Illinois Cumberland Wheeling Vandalia • Cumberland, Effingham, and Fayette that were once occupied with deer, wolves, panthers, wild hogs, and bears were cleared to build towns along the road.

10. Fact 4: Why- The Cumberland Road was made to make travel more doable for travelers and make trade with the western states easier and less expensive.

11. Before the Cumberland Road, roads were made of dirt, so travel was difficult. • Some people tried to build roads out of planks of wood or logs, which only made it worse. • Congress wanted the road to unify America economically, socially, and politically. • The federal government thought that the road would help move immigrants to the west

12. Fact 5: When- The Cumberland Road started to be constructed in 1815 and was finished in 1850. Even though construction only stopped once, it took 35 years to build.

13. Early 1800’s – no good roads, everyone hated travel because it was so challenging 1803 – Congress created the law to build the Cumberland Road 1806 – President Jefferson appointed men to decide the exact rout of the road 1811 – started clearing where the road would be 1815 – construction began 1818 – road reached present day Wheeling, West Virginia

14. 1819 – construction stopped because there was not enough funding to continue the road due to the economic downturn of Panic of 1819 1820’s – construction re-began to Vandalia 1830 – camp meeting started along the road for ministers to preach 1840 – several religious meeting places along the road 1833 – stretched to Columbus, Ohio 1850 – finished at Vandalia, Illinois

15. h