I magine riding on horseback or hiking through the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania in the summer of 1835. A dusty road climbs through an ever narrowing ravine. You are surrounded by steep hillsides covered with towering hemlocks, many reaching over 100 feet high. A small stream, barely four feet across, tumbles down its shallow and rocky course alongside the road. Here, high in the mountains, the air is cool, despite the season, and a feeling of wilderness pervades. As you round a bend in the road you notice the sound of heavy machinery--wheels turning, engines cranking, ropes straining. You see a cloud of dark smoke belching from an unseen smokestack somewhere on the hillside to your right. Then, through a break in the trees, you glimpse the front section of a boat slowly moving up the steep slope of the mountain! There cannot possibly be a river or canal in such a location. What is more, the boat appears to be moving up a steep grade under its own power. Clearly, an unusual event in Americas transportation history is under way.
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![]() About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Map Determining the Facts: Readings Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities |
![]() How the National Register Allegheny Portage Railroad This lesson is based on the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. |
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