To satisfy the increasing demand for fuel, the coal-mining industry developed and new towns sprang up in places where resources were abundant.
A New Fuel
The Transportation Revolution also increased the use of certain natural resources that had not been important until then. Throughout the early Transportation Revolution, wood was the primary source of fuel for trains and steamboats, as well as for cooking, light, and heat. As faster locomotives were built, new power resources were used to fuel them. Coal replaced wood as the main source of power. A half ton of coal produced as much energy as two tons of wood but at half the cost. Coal also became popular for heating homes. Railroads transported the coal from mines to towns and cities.
As the demand for coal increased, a coal-mining industry developed in many states, including Pennsylvania, western Virginia, and Illinois. Coal mining changed the landscape in a number of ways. New towns, such as Coal City and Carbondale in Illinois, sprang up in places where coal deposits could be mined. Miners made deep gashes in the earth removing the coal.
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To satisfy the increasing demand for fuel, the
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industry developed and new towns sprang up in places where resources were abundant.
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