How can I get information on how the introduction of steamboats to the
Mississippi River affected the Louisiana economy in the 1800's?

Hi judyd,

Before the Civil War, New Orleans' port was second only to that of New
York City. By the mid 1800s, it was the fourth largest commercial port
for exports in the world. This was mostly because of the arrival of
steamboats in 1812.

Steamboats carried goods from the mid-west down the Mississippi to New
Orleans for export; imports were shipped upriver by the same means.
"The first steamboat to come down the Mississippi arrived in the
Crescent City in 1812, and by the 1850s around 3,000 steamboats docked
at New Orleans each year."

From this website you'll learn how this thriving, commercial shipping
business, made possible by steamboats, had a far-reaching effect
across Louisiana. Scroll down this page to read about such things as
commission merchants, banking and manufacturers.

Antebellum Louisiana: Urban Life
http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabildo/cab9a.htm

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Among some very interesting information about Louisiana's fate before,
during and after the Civil War, you'll find this:

"Louisiana had a great strategic advantage in the Civil War. The state
possessed the mouth of the Mississippi River and the Port of New
Orleans, the country`s second largest port. With steamboating in it`s
heyday and vast volumes of crops and goods passing down the
Mississippi, New Orleans was the South`s industrial and banking
center. Also, the Mississippi River was one of the confederacy`s main
transportation routes for both supplies and men."  A click on
'strategic advantage' will link you to a picture.

hw2
http://www.stud.u-szeged.hu/Feher.Szabolcs/hw2.html

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"The Tallulah Territory, lying between the Mississippi River and the
Macon Hills, is an area in the delta of Northeast Louisiana." You'll
find some excellent, pertinent information from this thesis by Robert
L. Moncrief - B.A. The history begins before the Louisiana Purchase.
The author describes the types of boats used prior to steamboats and
explains very well the problems associated with their use. He goes on
to discuss the arrival of steamboats on the Mississippi and the effect
they had, not just on the economy but how they influenced immigration
and settlements. "These early steamboats offered much better
transportation and encouraged more rapid settlement of land on the
navigable streams and bayous."

You can read the whole page, or use the link to go directly to
information about 'Development of Transportation."

Notes From the Economic Development of the Tallulah Territory
http://www.rootsweb.com/~lamadiso/articles/moncrief.htm

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"Between 1814 and 1834, New Orleans steamboat arrivals increased from
20 to 1200 a year. The boats transported cargoes of cotton, sugar, and
passengers. Throughout the East, steamboats contributed greatly to the
economy by transporting agricultural and industrial supplies."

Today in History: August 26
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug26.html

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I hope the above leads provide you with the information you need.
Please use your 'Clarification of Answer' button if you are unclear
about anything in this answer.

Regards,

revbrenda1st


Search strategy:

louisiana economy steamboats
://www.google.ca/search?q=louisiana+economy+steamboats&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Thank you for your fast and complete answer to my question.