Early Construction of Roads
The construction of roads also assisted in the improvement of transportation during the 1800s. At first, roads consisted merely of paths carved out of wooded areas, with cut trees laid down as a surface. Dubbed “corduroy roads” because they looked like ribbed cloth, these early roads made for bumpy and uncomfortable travel. Builders sometimes used boards to surface these primitive roads; however, both the cut trees and the boards usually rotted, so eventually stone and gravel applications were introduced.