TO MARKET! TO MARKET!
It is not too difficult to find instances of a prosperous, vibrant people seeking a way to market the fruits of their efforts. It is easy to find parallels in various sections of the world, and we can learn from seeing how such activities may be compared and contrasted, and we can realizes more advancements in our area economy.
Here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia we have an historical pattern which is common to many geographical locations. As settlement advanced from the coastal areas and moved westward they met with a wall of ancient mountains.
We find it difficult to accept the relatively low, worn down mountains as such a formidable barrier as them seem to have been. We, today, need to remember, too, however, that the people of Colonial Virginia had only vague idea of what they might meet with in the western wilderness beyond the blue ridge of mountains. Piedmont Indian tribes living east of the range of mountains, perhaps, spoke of the excellent hunting grounds available to the west, but none of them were strong enough enough to take possession of the Valley. No one tribes ever called the Valley their own. None of tribes could make a claim and defend it.
The Valley area from what is now the upper edge of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge... north of Winchester,perhaps, to southwest of Roanoke using modern designations. To this day Indian tribes do not like the idea of being "weak" and a romantic tale is old by many that they "willingly shared the rich Shenandoah Valley as a common hunting ground." They visited the area for game and it is said they have purposely set fire to large area to burn off forest growth when they departed to encourage larger open acreage for Nature to pasture deer, buffalo and other creatures of value as meat and pelts.
English settlers used the Hampton Roads waterway and those rivers feeding into the Chesapeake Bay a mean of trading with the inner sections of the area up to the edge of the mountains. The James with serious efforts to start building canals to extend westward to the Valley and beyond. The Potomac River was used and in the area in which I live, the Shenandoah River was such a watery highway where it became "North", "South" forks with a river called "Middle" between them... barge ways which became active in trading of Valley goods to Baltimore and other Chesapeake Bay ports.
In England, centuries ago people from whom we are largely descended, used rivers and canals built to extend them from the North Sea coast from The Wash down toward the Channel and continental centers to send great supplies of East Anglia's variety of products into the London urban areas.
We, as did those early traders in England used our waterways -natural and man made - until such time as the locomotive was invented and took over as a faster means of getting the job done. They trains, in time, gave way to the lorry after a Scotsman by the name of John McAdam invented a process by which he firmed up the roads with crushed gravel . Macadamizing many old untended highways - including some Roman ruins and in America ancient American Indian trails - signaled the season of the semi, the time of the truckers, the count-up from 4 to 18-wheelers - now seen in many areas as strings thereof.
We face a new dilemma, even as we see aircraft taking over much of the trucking business in our longer United States trips. The newest sky monsters are set to carry seven semi loads, faster and safer. Where can we look in history of to find a solution for our new problems of inadequate highways and no remaining rail system of any consequence to augment our present choo-choo train pretenses.
One such action is noticeable here in the Valley. Merchandising itself is being sharply modified. We now have at least three major "distribution centers" in this immediate two county area. "Target","Best Buy" and "Marshall's".. with a massive new Wal-Mart distribution center taking gargantuan shape for next year. Several "warehouse" operations of manufactured goods would fit the same classification, and all are closer than ever to the Eastern megalopolis selling centers.
We are bringing "supply" closer to potential "users".
hA L.M. March 3, 2005 [c737wds]
