What effect did the arrival of a steamboat have on a small river town

Before, trains, cars, airplanes and trucks existed, rivers were used for travel. They carried people and goods. However, this way of transportation was very slow. All that changed with the arrival of the steamboat in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The steamboat could travel at the amazing speed of 5 miles per hour. It soon changed all over river travel and trade and dominated the waterways.

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